GVPT170 Final Exam

argument by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches

Consists of nine justices, each appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress. Appointment is for life. Supreme Court exercises the power to determine constitutionality of statutes

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

9 justices, lifetime appointment, nominated by the president,approved by the Senate

varies by state, i.e. gubernatorial, partisan election, nonpartisan elections, merit/Missouri plans

SCOTUS hears 60-80 cases a year, and can dismiss a case for any or no reason at any time

the power of a court to hear a case first, before any other court

The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts

A formal writ used to bring a case before the Supreme Court.

At least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard

I. Agenda setting/screening petitionsII. Briefs and Oral ArgumentsIII. Conference Discussion of Argued CasesIV. Opinion Assignment and Crafting of OpinionsV. Opinion Announcement

a detailed explanation of the legal thinking behind a court's decision in a case

a statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

A statement explaining why a justice agrees with the decision of the court, but for reasons different from those stated in the majority opinion.

Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases

those opinions held by private persons which governments find it prudent to heed

public opinion of the average individual

public opinion of an entire electorate (behaves reasonably, cancels out individual noise and error)

public opinion at a fixed moment in time

public opinion measured in movements over time

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

randomness of a sample, sampling errors, the wording of questions, response rate, and intensity measurement

they form survey responses; sometimes elaborate/consistent, more often loose/rudimentary

when the way an issue is posed affects the way it is answered

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

group attachments (race, gender, income, education), political socialization, economic conditions, religious beliefs, and PID

a person's ingrained loyalty to a political party and emotional attachments to it

the ability to receive and evaluate information as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it

a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue

favors more active government intervention

favors less active government intervention

when an issue causes one cleavage to overlap with another over a social issue (the Civil Rights Era saw an end this when political parties aligned themselves with social beliefs)

the amount of liberalism in the United States fluctuates, often against the party of the president

the ideological label that people use to describe themselves

the ideological label applied to people based on their true beliefs and views

press, advertising/professional strategists, and political science

the goal of campaigns; citizens start to tune in and are affected by campaign information and the state of the nation

little evidence to show they greatly affect voters' minds during a campaign, but they are an important campaign tradition

affected by four main characteristics: crisis, economy, honeymoon, and equilibration

follows general approval rates, significantly related to Congress and the President

voters who have already made up their minds about an election

voters (or nonvoters) who are random statistical noise in elections

voters who shift from party to party and affect public opinion heavily (independents/moderates)

The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics.

an election strategy that relies on getting a candidate's supporters to the polls

what causes some candidates to have a significant advantage over their opponent before a race begins (tied to their position)

links public opinion to government officials and government policy

I. Probability one's vote will matter in an electionII. How much one cares about the outcome of an electionIII. The cost of voting

causes policy to respond to a wealthier, older electorate that isn't fully representative of all eligible voters

widely considered a threat to good government and public order (i.e. Madison's 'factions')

it is single member, winner-takes-all

widespread change in the dominant party control in government over time

party changes caused by divisive issues in society, usually within 1-2 election cycles

unseen since the Civil Rights era, historically many years between changes in party systems

the ability to ensure laws and precedents are followed; lacking in the Judicial Branch

written litigant documents submitted prior to oral arguments

briefs submitted by/from an external party for oral arguments

strictly-timed sections of a Supreme Court hearing, where each side is allotted thirty minutes and Justices can interrupt with questions

a perspective in elections: daily observations by the public online, in print, and on TV

a perspective in elections: all about the image of the candidate and the wider campaign

a perspective in elections: the state of the country and the economy, known as “the facts”

organizations that have little national influence, but can still sway major elections (i.e. the 1912 and 2000 presidential elections)

public opinion changes caused by scandals, news cycles, speeches, and crises

public opinion changes caused by economic conditions and gradual shifts in the prevailing ideological sentiment of the mass public

sampling using phone surveys, random address selection, and academic polls

within the Constitution, extremely vaguely forms the Judicial Branch