Supreme Court Cases & American Politics: Civil Liberties & Government Power - Prof. Craig , Study notes of Political Science

Download Supreme Court Cases & American Politics: Civil Liberties & Government Power - Prof. Craig and more Study notes Political Science in PDF only on Docsity! iClicker Questions from Class Question Answer The 3/5’s compromise was used for what? Voting Qualifications Federalism does not decentralize the _______ income tax. Federal Marriage license in all states? Full Faith and Credit Labor Day is a day to celebrate “Right to Work” laws T/F? False Civil liberties are legal and constitutional protections against the _______. Government Final interpreter of the content and scope of Americans’ civil liberties? Supreme Court Supreme Court nationalized the Bill of Rights in what doctrine? Incorporation Doctrine Publication of malicious statements, written? Libel Forbids forced self-incrimination amendment? Fifth amendment Freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion amendment? First amendment Due Process Clause, incorporation amendment? Fourteenth amendment Classifications on the basis of race? Inherently suspect Civil Rights Act of 1964 All are true; racial discrimination is illegal, prohibited gender discrimination, US dept of justice to desegregate schools Enforcing the Voting Rights Acts? US Department of Justice Title IX of Education Act Forbids gender discrimination in schools and school activities “Citizens United” Gave corporations and labor unions the right to spend as much as they want in elections Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Required employers and public facilities to make “reasonable accommodations” and prohibited discrimination to people with disabilities Voting Rights of Blacks were not fully secured until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 T/F? True Hispanic Americans and Latinos are the largest minority group today in the US T/F? True The 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote T/F? True Defense of the Marriage Act permits states to disregard same sex marriages even if they are legal in another state T/F? True People become more socialized with age and political orientations grow weaker T/F? False Political socialization is a _______ role. Government What is the paradox of mass politics? Political system works fairly well despite the Americans lack of political knowledge Public opinion polls are only estimates because all surveys have ________. Sampling error Newspapers in the American home? 1960- 1 in every 2 adults 2008- 1 in every 5 adults False about private media? Profit has driven US American media organizations to expand to foreign bureaus What are the primary interests of public and private interest groups? Public- serving public interest Private- to make a profit What is the prominent bias in the media? That it is audience-driven Internet has helped to create a public that has higher levels of political knowledge T/F? False Americans self-reported ideological and partisan positions as? In the middle of conservative and liberal People moving away from both political parties are called? Dealignment Older Americans are likely to say they are independent T/F? False Current party era realignment in the past generation is called? Southern Realignment In advanced industrialized countries, election campaigns last? No more than 2 months by law or custom What is NOT a major criticism of caucus and primary system? Not enough power to media access Delegates to National Convention are selected through? Presidential primaries Why is there a lower level of voter turnout in the US than other countries? More cumbersome than other nations People with education higher than the average are more likely to vote than people with lower education but… Only in the US The Electoral college was originally established to… Give the nation’s elite the power rather than directly to the people and it is responsible for the President and the Vice President Highton’s article fins that the level of racial prejudice Varies from state-to-state Interest groups tend to be policy specialists; and political parties tend to be policy generalists T/F? True Retail Tobacco, Dept of Agriculture and House Tobacco Subcommittee are all examples of… The Iron Triangle People who benefit without joining interest groups are called? Free-riders Richard Neustadt has argued presidential Persuade but favor it’s practice The press characterized Ronald Reagan’s 1980 President election victory as a mandate, implying that people endorsed Reagan’s policies over Carter’s T/F? True 2000 election vs Al Gore, reporters preferred George Bush’s accessibility and personality T/ F? True The structure of the Constitution reduces the effect of the Craig Brian’s Law, by limiting the ability of any branch to take decisive political action T/F? True Since most incumbent legislative win, legislators act as trustees, ignoring their constituent’s preferences. False The Declaration of Independence protects Americans’ equal rights T/F? False The Articles of Confederation… Weak national government and it lacked taxation power Growth of the scope of government, proliferation of interest groups True Important Topics from Semester  Government- the authoritative allocation of value.  Politics- who gets what, when and how.  Key Functions of Government 1. National Defense 2. Provide Public Services 3. Preserve order 4. Socialize the young 5. Collect taxes  Five Criteria of a Democracy 1. Equality in voting 2. Effective participation 3. Enlightened understanding 4. Citizen control of agenda 5. Inclusion  Three Theories of Democracy 1. Pluralism- organized efforts 2. Elitism- divided by class lines (1/3rd of the country’s wealth comes from them, they are 1% of our population) 3. Hyperpluralism- pluralism gone bad, groups are competing  Issues at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention 1. Equality in voting, slavery, representation 2. Economic issues 3. Individual Rights  Antifederalists opposed the Constitution and Federalists supported it.  James Madison created the idea of separation of powers, which is the House of Representatives and the Senate (the Connecticut Compromise).  The Articles of Confederation was weak and ineffective and lacked taxation power.  Federalism- organizing a nation so that there are two or more levels of government, focus is power from the national government to the state’s government, increases inequalities between and among the states.  The federal system decentralizes our politics and policies.  Devolution- transferring responsibility from Federal to State  The Supreme Law of the Land is the Constitution.  Dr. Brian’s Law- For every political action, there is an equal which often time undoes the action.  Formally amending the Constitution is difficult, but informally amending it is more commonly used and is easier.  A government who cannot collect taxes is not a government.  Nullification- states ignore national laws because they feel they are unconstitutional.  The Constitution was written in 1787, passed in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was 1791.  The Federalist Papers were written by 3 people with different opinions, printed in local newspaper to encourage people to support the passing of the new Constitution.  Supremacy Clause- the Constitution, national laws and treaties have more power over state laws, as long as they are within constitutional limits  Incorporation Doctrine- Supreme Court nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of it’s provisions applicable to the states through the 14th amendment  A limitation NOT through the Constitution is having a trigger lock on guns.  Civil War Amendments 1. 13th amendment- outlawed slavery 2. 14th amendment- defined a citizen as anyone born in the US 3. 15th amendment- extended voting rights to all citizens  The 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.  Marbury vs. Madison- Judicial review, the Judiciary branch tells us what the Constitution means  Laissez-Faire promotes public free markets and limited government.  Key Facts of Civil Liberties 1. No rights are absolute 2. Incorporation – 14th amendment 3. Judiciary Branch (Supreme Court) tells use what the constitution means  Brown vs. Board- desegregation of discrimination in schools  Affirmative Action- policy that gives attention to or compensatory treatment for people who have suffered from discrimination  The VRA of 1965 was the redrawing of district boundaries lines to avoid discriminatory intent and results, as amended in 1982.  Delegates- figure out exactly what the public wants through certain methods  Trustees- trusted by the people to make a decision and then they justify their decision  NEWS VALUES- Impact, Timeliness, Prominence, Proximity, Conflict, Bizarre, Currency  Negative campaign ads are more factual than positive ads.  “Horse-race coverage”- who is ahead and who is behind, constantly covered  “Party” is never mentioned in the Constitution because there were no political parties when it was written.  How is our government elected and how long do they serve? 1. President- electoral college; 4 years 2. VP- electoral college and with President; 4 years 3. Federal Judges- nominated by the President, approved by the Senate; lifetime 4. Senators (100)- people of the state; 6 years 5. House of Representatives (435)- districts in the state they represent; 2 years  The Electoral College has 538 members.  Successful Interest Groups- smaller means more effective, lobbying, intensity and sufficient forms of funds  If an interest group becomes too focused on personal issues, it leads to hyperpluralism.  Descriptive representation- mering physical characteristics  Substantive representation- issue based instead of looks  Incumbents mostly always win when they face a challenger.  Earmarks are good because the people know where their money is going.  What does the President do? 1. pull whoever they want out of jail, regardless of the crime, this is called “Pardoning Power” 2. Make war 3. Sets the agenda  Discretion Rules- are lienient  Fixed Rules- absolute, you break the law = you will get in trouble  Weber’s Theory- standardized rules prevent bias or unfair treatment  The Jon Stewart question- it has less factual information  Baron et. al question- reasonable vote and apathetic vote  Smart political figures never promise results.  It is more expensive to have someone have on death row than in jail, per year.  Criminal law- state vs civilian  Civil law- civilian vs civilian  US political structure affects the health policy choices and outcomes.