East Penn Academic Government Notes

Living Constitution This philosophy (also called "dynamic document") is that the meaning of the Constitution was meant to change throughout time and history. Original Intent This philosophy (also called "originalism") is that the Constitution it to be interpreted based on how Framers would have interpreted it. Judicial Activism This philosophy is built upon that courts exercising judicial review to strike down statutes as unconstitutional. They try to "right wrongs" on controversial political issues. Judicial Restraint This philosophy is that they can only strike down laws if they are obviously unconstitutional.

Jurisdiction is the right of a court to hear a case and apply the law. Dual Court System The dual court system is the division between federal and state courts. Federal courts hear criminal and civil cases involving Constitutional questions, federal law, and treaties. State courts hear criminal and civil cases related to state constitutional questions and state laws. Purpose This limits the power and scope of jurisdiction at both levels. District Courts They are the first to hear a case. Court of Appeals They hear challenges to verdicts on previous trial cases. They do not  retry cases or hear new evidence. Supreme Court The court of last resort in all questions of federal law and constitutionality. They have nine justices. Appointing a justice entails that they serve for life and good behavior. Freedom from political pressures allow justices to rule without outside influence. Duties Deciding which cases to hear Deciding on the case itself Determining an ...

Federal Reserve was established to serve as the central banking system of the United States. This was aimed to: Minimize banking panics Improve stability of the U.S. economy Organize, standardize, and stabilize American currency Their primary task is controlling the country's money supply, the now also control monetary policy. They change the reserve ratio requirements for banks. Requiring banks to have higher reserve ratios per deposit forces the bank to lend less, decreasing the overall money supply. Allowing banks to decrease their reserve ratios per deposit allows the bank to lend more, which increases the overall money supply. The Fed also raises and lowers short-term interest rates to influence demand. Lower interest rates in crease economic demand and flow of currency, higher interest rates do the opposite. Lastly, the Fed buys issued securities from large banks or security dealers, increasing the money supply. If it sells these securities it is decreasing the money ...

Uncontrollable Spending This is also known as mandatory spending. The level of spending cannot be changed unless Congress changes the law(s) that set the funding for those programs. A majority of uncontrollable spending goes towards entitlement programs. Once Congress sets the standards of eligibility for these programs, it cannot adjust how much the government spends. Discretionary Spending The spending amounts on specific budget items that Congress and the President make choices on each year. The military takes 50% of all discretionary spending. The Federal Budget Estimate of government spending for the next fiscal year, it declares public policies of the United States. Creating the Budget President presents budget to Congress House and Senate working together to determine size of budget Appropriations Committees set spending for different sectors President approves the budget Approving the Final Budget Continuing resolutions allow affected agencies to cont...

Vetoes Line-Item Veto is the ability to cancel out some measures of a provision while approving others. It can help to eliminate wasteful federal spending, however it could  give too much power to a president. Judicial Powers Reprieve is the postponement of the execution of a sentence. A pardon is legal forgiveness of a crime, pardons must be accepted by the person it is given to. Emergency Powers These may grant any additional war powers or other powers in times of emergency. Responding to war emergencies automatically grants presidents these powers. However, "times of emergency" is subjective and this could allow for standing laws to be broken.

Qualifications Natural-born citizen of the United States (in U.S. or to U.S. citizen) 35 years old Have spent at least fourteen years in the United States (need not be consecutive) Term Limits A president can serve a maximum of two, four year terms or ten years Presidential Primaries Voters indicate preferences for nominees for president of the United States indirectly through the choice of delegates to the presidential nominating convention. Caucuses Voting is held at local, county, and then state levels to determine a delegate. Electoral College Each state has as many electors as it does members of Congress. This system makes it more advantageous for candidates to focus on states with high numbers of electoral votes. Arguments Against Winner of popular vote could lose election Nothing requires electors to vote for candidate favored by the State (faithless electors) House of Representatives could be forced to decide an election Small states are overrepr...