State of the Union Role players

Elizabeth Warren

Joe Biden

Sonya Sotomayor

Ruth Ginsberg

Paul Ryan

Jon Boehner

Mitch McConnell

John Lewis

Ted Cruz

CP Study Guide 2

Study Guide Part 2

·         Who issued the Declaration of Independence? The Continental Congress

·         The American Revolution was based upon the ideas of  European political thinkers.

·         Checks and balances were not among John Locke’s philosophical concepts.

·         John Locke’s ideas on natural rights were related to human law in that natural rights were considered higher than human law.

·         In recent years, the Supreme Court has increased protection of women’s physical access to abortion clinics.

·         The goal of affirmative action is to move toward equal results.

·         The Dred Scott v. Sanford ruling was handed down by the Supreme Court a few years prior to the Civil War.

·         Government is defined as the institutions through which public policies are made for society.

·         The writers of the US Constitution were distrustful of democracy.

·         The US government under the Articles of Confederation can be best described as weak and ineffective.

·         Under the Articles of Confederation, most governmental power rested in the states.

Essay Response

Articulate the several different approaches to representation within a democratic political system.

Essay should include the following sections

Paragraph 1 : Introduction

Paragraph 2:
(A) Define Direct Democracy
(B) Define republican form of government

Utilize this link to respond to questions A&B

(C) Describe one reason the framers of the US Constitution chose a Republican form of government over a direct democracy.

Paragraph 3
(D) Describe each of the models of Congressional Representation.
       Trustee model (attitudinal view)
        Delegate model (representative view)
Use the links below to respond to question D.
https://polsci101.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/trustee-vs-delegate/
http://www.majorityvoterules.org/who_is_the_boss.php
Paragraph 4
Explain why a member of Congress might sometimes act as a trustee (attitudinal view) rather than a delegate (representational view)

The National Judiciary

Terms: pg. 506

Inferior Courts
Jurisdiction
exclusive jurisdiction
concurrent jurisdiction
plaintiff
defendant
original jurisdiction
appellate jurisdiction


Top of pg. 508      Chart:  What cases come under federal jurisdiction?

Subject matter of the case
A case falls within the jurisdiction of the of the federal courts if it concerns?

1)

2)

 Example

3)

 Example

The Parties involved in the case

A case falls within the jurisdiction of the federal courts if any of the parties in the case is:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)
Short Answer:

1. Contrast original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction. What kind of jurisdiction does the Supreme Court have? 
2. Define Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2 and indicate what it authorizes the President to do? (Find on pg. 509 in the section labeled Appointment of Judges) 
3. Draw types of Court Jurisdiction diagram on pg. 509

Analyzing the Executive Authority of Judicial Appointment

Analyzing the Executive Authority of Judicial Appointment

PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS TO THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY BY SELECTED

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, 2000–2011 (in percent)

African American
Obama 22%/Bush 7%

Hispanic
Obama 11%/Bush 9%

Asian American 
Obama 8%/Bush 1%

White
Obama 59%/Bush 82%

Women
Obama 46%/Bush 22%

Men
Obama 54%/Bush 78%


1. Presidents consider many factors when nominating candidates to the federal courts, and getting their nominees confirmed is often difficult.

 Part 1
(a) Using the statistics above, describe ONE similarity between President Barack Obama’s judicial appointments and those made by President George W. Bush.

(b) Using the statistics above, describe TWO differences between President Barack Obama’s judicial appointments and those made by President George W. Bush.

Part 2 (The Politics of Judicial Selection) pg. 512

(c) Explain why a president’s party affiliation accounts for differences in presidential appointments to the
judiciary.

(d) Describe one way a president can increase the chances of having judicial nominations to federal courts
confirmed.





2. Consider the following profile of Supreme Court Justice  Sonia Sotomayor to understand their ideological similarities to President Obama.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117501/sonia-sotomayor-schuette-dissent-national-treasure

While reading:
What political opinions do these justices' express?
What is so important about Sotomayor's dissent language?
Is it written in accessible style rather than the wooden prose of the legal world?
Do these opinions reflect similarities to Mr. Obama's political views?

3. In what 3 facets do the Courts act as policy makers? (pg. 520) 

Executive Branch Free Response Questions

Free Response Question 1:
Describe the constitutional process of removing a President from office. How often has this process been seriously attempted? With what results? Is this process appropriate or would you recommend changes? (pg. 397-398)




Free Response Question 2:

To what extent does the Office of the Presidency  enlarge the scope of government?Why or why not? Provide specific examples from various Presidencies to support your answers? (pg. 430-432)


Free Response Question 3:

List and briefly describe the Constitutional powers of the President. Which are most important and why?  (pg. 401)

The Executive Order

Utilize the video below and respond to the 3 following questions

What is an executive order?
Can Congress do anything about an executive order?
Why are executive orders not permanent?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/politics/can-congress-stop-an-executive-order/2014/11/19/d17bb6e8-701c-11e4-a2c2-478179fd0489_video.html