US Government (Wednesday, April 12, 4th period)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh was in the classroom, a pile of tests on his desk.

And a giant golf umbrella next to his chair. He wasn't taking any chances.

Every now and then, he gave a suspicious glare at the ceiling tiles.

"Okay. This is our last test before our final exam, at which point you can erase your brain from anything you learned in this class, as is traditional. But for now, well, I hope you used the time you had off on Friday productively."

1. How does a bill become a law? Singing aloud will be mocked.
2. Name at least two committees in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Extra credit will be given if you name more than five.
3. Just how big a jackass is the Senate Majority Leader? Give me an example of the differences between the House and the Senate.
4. Where does the Supreme Court fit into the balance of power thing?
5. Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade. Prove to me you know what you're talking about regarding one of these cases.
Extra credit: Name the 9 Supreme Court Justices in this reality.
[OOC: handwaving the answers is fine--give me an idea of how your character did. Answering the questions is fun, too :)]

Comments

Re: Take the test

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

1. When a senator or a representative introduces a bill, he or she sends it to the clerk of his house, who gives it a number and title. This is the first reading, and the bill is referred to the proper committee.

The committee may decide the bill is unwise or unnecessary and table it, thus killing it at once. Or it may decide the bill is worthwhile and hold hearings to listen to facts and opinions presented by experts and other interested persons. After members of the committee have debated the bill and perhaps offered amendments, a vote is taken; and if the vote is favorable, the bill is sent back to the floor of the house.

The clerk reads the bill sentence by sentence to the house, and this is known as the second reading. Members may then debate the bill and offer amendments. In the House of Representatives, the time for debate is limited by a cloture rule, but there is no such restriction in the Senate for cloture, where 60 votes are required. This makes possible a filibuster, in which one or more opponents hold the floor to defeat the bill.

The third reading is by title only, and the bill is put to a vote, which may be by voice or roll call, depending on the circumstances and parliamentary rules. A member who must be absent at the time of a vote may contract (or "pair") with a member of the opposition to abstain, balancing each other out.

The bill then goes to the other house of Congress, where it may be defeated, or passed with or without amendments. If the bill is defeated, it dies. If it is passed with amendments, a joint congressional committee must be appointed by both houses to iron out the differences.

After its final passage by both houses, the bill is sent to the president. If he approves, he signs it, and the bill becomes a law. However, if he disapproves, he vetoes the bill by refusing to sign it and sending it back to the house of origin with his reasons for the veto. The objections are read and debated, and a roll-call vote is taken. If the bill receives less than a two-thirds vote, it is defeated and goes no further. But if it receives a two-thirds vote or greater, it is sent to the other house for a vote. If that house also passes it by a two-thirds vote, the president's veto is overridden, and the bill becomes a law.

Should the president desire neither to sign nor to veto the bill, he may retain it for ten days, Sundays excepted, after which time it automatically becomes a law without signature. However, if Congress has adjourned within those ten days, the bill is automatically killed, that process of indirect rejection being known as a pocket veto.

2. Senate Standing Committees: Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary
Senate Select Committees: Ethics, Intelligence
House of Representatives: Appropriations, Government Reform, House Administration, International Relations

3. Members of the House have a two year term, whereas Senators retain their seat for six years.

4. The Supreme Court holds both original and appellate jurisdiction. Members are nominated by the President (the executive branch) and have to be confirmed by the Senate (the legislative branch). The Supreme Court may exercise the power of judicial review, or the power to declare federal or state laws, as well as the actions of federal and state executives, unconstitutional. The decisions of the Supreme Court may not be appealed to any other body

5. This 1803 decision marked the first time the United States Supreme Court declared a federal law unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the opinion for the court. He held that it was the duty of the judicial branch to determine what the law is. His opinion established the power of judicial review.

EC: John G. Roberts, John Paul Stevens, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.