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Inta 1200
Congress

Roles of Congress

Representative

As Delegate: represent State, district

As Trustee: votes his conscience

Lawmaker:
Helps make the nations laws

As Member of Political Party

Role will depend on
Philosophical/ideological orientation
Influence of voters
Amount of Presidential and/or party pressure
Influence of colleagues
Influence of expert opinion

But
Local good different from national good, and members generally favor representing their local constituencies

Thus it is difficult for members to fulfill their collective responsibility of national lawmaking

This may explain why Americans hate Congress as a whole but love their own senators and representatives

Functions of Congress

Legitimating

Investigating

Ombudsman

Checks and Balances
Congress and Executive
President’s formulates policy (But can not introduce bills)
Congress introduces & passes bills; president signs or vetoes
President appoints cabinet, ambassadors, judges to federal courts
Senate has “advise and consent” role
President represents national constituency
Congress represents district or state constituencies
Congress and the Judiciary
Congress sets up lower federal courts, determines salaries for judges, but once established, they can’t be cut
Congress decides jurisdiction for courts to hear cases
Congress passes legislation that limits courts’ discretion to rule or impose sentences
Congress makes the laws , the courts interpret them

Congressional elections

Politics of defining congressional districts

Reapportionment: a reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years, following the census

Redistricting: process of redrawing of district lines in states with more than one representative (carried out by state legislators or commission)

Gerrymandering: redistricting to benefit a particular group

Types of gerrymandering
Pro-incumbent gerrymandering

Racial gerrymandering:
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