ELP FINAL EXAM REVIEW                                                                                                                  

State Government (Ch. 13) & Local Government (Ch. 14)

 

State Government

Part I: Terms

1. 10th Amendment - grants powers to state governments

2. Supremacy Clause - clause that says federal and state laws cannot conflict with the Constitution

3. Full Faith and Credit Clause - clause that says states will honor laws and court decisions of other states

4. extradition - returning a criminal/suspect to the place of the crime

5. apportionment - distribution of legislative seats according to population

6. Lt. Governor - official president of the NC Senate

7. NC Supreme Court - top court in NC

8. Small Claims Court - court that handles civil cases of less than $4,000

9. commute - reduction of punishment

10. line-item veto - rejecting certain parts of a bill

11. General Assembly - name of the NC legislature

 

Part II: NC Court System

 

Supreme Court

-          Hears most cases on appeal from Appeals Court.  The exception is death penalty cases, which come straight to the Supreme Court from Superior Court

      -    judges are elected

 

 

Appeals Court

-          Judges are elected

-          hears appeals from Superior Court (except for death penalty cases, which go straight to Supreme Court

 

 

Superior Court

-          judges are elected

-          hears felony cases, civil cases worth more than $10,000, and appeals from District Court

-          judges must “ride the circuit” and rotate every 6 months to prevent favoritism

 

District Court

-          judges are elected

-          handles misdemeanors and civil cases worth between $4,000-10,000

 

Small Claims Court

-          presided over by magistrate

-          handles civil cases worth less than $4,000

 

 

Part III: NC Legislative Branch

 

General Assembly

-          2 houses: HOR and Senate

-          members of each house represent a district and serve for 2 years

-          HOR: 120 members

-          Senate: 50 members

-          Called a “citizen legislature” because our lawmakers are not full-time politicians; they have other jobs

 

 

Part IV: Short Answer

1. Who approves amendments to the NC Constitution? The General Assembly approves them, but voters must give final approval in a

    referendum vote.

2. How long do members of the NC General Assembly serve? 2 years

3. Why is the legislative session shorter during even numbered years? They usually only handle the budget, and then break for

    elections.

4. Why must NC Superior Court judges “ride the circuit” and rotate among districts? To prevent favoritism between judges and

    lawyers

5. How long do most judges serve? 8 year terms

6. Which NC court handles misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, and other simple cases? District Court

7. Which NC court handles felony cases and hears appeals from district courts? Superior Court

8. If you were convicted of murder in Superior Court and sentenced to death, to whom would you appeal? Supreme Court

9. What does the Council of State do (as a group)? Advise the Governor

10. Who chooses the Council of State? NC voters

11. How long does the Governor of NC serve? 4 years

12. List the qualifications for Governor of NC

            a. 30 years old

 

b. live in NC for 5 years

 

c. US citizen

 

13. Match each member of the Council of State with the appropriate role.

 

C      1. keeps state records

 

E      2. heads SBI; state’s lawyer and legal advisor

 

F      3. carries out policies of the Board of Education

 

B      4. President of NC Senate; 2nd in command to

           Governor

 

A      5. supervises tax collection; pays state’s bills

 

D      6. examines financial records

 

 

  1. State Treasurer

 

  1. Lt. Governor

 

  1. Secretary of State

 

  1. State Auditor

 

  1. Attorney General

 

  1. Superintendent of Public Instruction

 

14. Match each action of the Governor with the appropriate role.

 

C      1. approve or veto bills

 

A      2. offers pardons, reprieves, and commutes a

            sentence.

 

B      3. head of the National Guard

 

F      4. carries out laws and appoints officials

 

E      5. represents the state

 

D      6. leader of state political party

 

 

  1. Judicial Leader

 

  1. Commander in Chief

 

  1. Chief Legislator

 

  1. Party Leader

 

  1. Ceremonial Leader

 

  1. Chief Executive

 

 

Local Government

Part I: Terms

1. charter - plan for government; gives local govt. its authority.

2. commissioners - governs the county

3. ordinance - local law

4. home rule - allowing cities to write their own charters and choose their own type of govt.

5. mayor - chief executive of a city

6.  - voting districts that each elect a representative to the city council

7. member-at-large - member of the city council elected by the entire city

8. metropolitan - a city and its surrounding suburbs combined

9. commission - type of local government in which all powers are held by departments

10. council-manager - type of local govt in which the city council chooses an official to carry out laws and run the govt

11. zoning law - law that determines what can be built in certain areas

12. bond - a loan to the government

13. infrastructure - includes all roads, bridges, water, and sewer systems in an area

 

Part II: County Officials

Match each county official with the appropriate role.

 

B      1. enforces laws

 

C      2. oversees county funds and collection of taxes

 

D      3. prosecutes criminals

 

F      4. determines each citizens taxable property

 

E      5. keeps county records and oversees elections

 

A      6. investigates causes of death

 

 

  1. coroner

 

  1. sheriff

 

  1. treasurer

 

  1. district attorney

 

  1. clerk

 

  1. assessor

 

 

Part IV: Types of Local Government

 

City

  1. Mayor-Council (strong or weak mayor) – mayor and council elected by voters
  2. Council-Manager – council elected by voters and manager appointed by council
  3.  Commission – commissioners elected by voters

 

County

  1. Board of Commissioners – elected by voters
  2. some counties also hire county managers (appointed by board of commissioners

 

Part V: Short Answer

1. Why is it sometimes hard to attract qualified people for the job of city manager? The pay is usually lower than what private

companies pay.

2. What is the main advantage of the council-manager form of government? There is less political influence; the manager is not a

politician and therefore makes decisions based on what he believes is best.

3. What is the main disadvantage of the council-manager form of government? The manager is not accountable to the people since

they do not elect him.

4. Explain the disadvantages of the commission form of government.

            a.  there is no central leader (no executive)

 

 

            b.  each commissioner might focus on their department rather than the needs of the entire city

 

 

5. How has the population growth of rural areas and suburbs affected county governments? Counties have been forced to expand its

operations and provide more services, which has placed more stress on county governments

 

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