25–36% of the AP exam. Key topics: Congressional structure: bicameralism, committees, party leadership, House Rules Committee, Legislative process: how a bill becomes law, filibuster, cloture (60-vote threshold), Congressional oversight mechanisms: hearings, investigations, budget power, Presidential formal powers: veto, pocket veto, pardon, treaty-making, appointment, Presidential informal powers: executive orders, executive agreements, signing statements, going public, Executive agencies and the federal bureaucracy: departments, independent agencies, regulatory bodies, Bureaucratic policymaking: rulemaking (notice-and-comment), iron triangles, issue networks, Federal court structure and jurisdiction: original vs. appellate; Article III courts, SCOTUS appointment and confirmation process, Judicial review and the role of precedent (stare decisis), Inter-branch conflict: legislative veto, executive privilege, confirmation battles, Federalist No. 70: unitary executive and presidential energy, Federalist No. 76: Senate confirmation of presidential appointments, Federalist No. 78: judicial independence and lifetime tenure, Required SCOTUS cases: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, United States v. Lopez.
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