Edexcel A-Level Politics 9PL0 · Paper 3 USA

Key Examples Sheet - ten core examples per area plus one live 2026 example

One drop-down per content area, each with ten exam-ready examples, what each shows and the questions it suits.

Each bar is a drop-down and starts closed.

Area 1 The Constitution and federalism

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	Marbury v Madison (1803)	Established judicial review, letting the Court strike down unconstitutional acts.	Constitution; the Court's power.
2	The Bill of Rights (1791)	The first ten amendments entrench core liberties such as speech and arms.	Rights; entrenchment.
3	The Tenth Amendment	Reserves powers to the states; the textual basis of federalism.	Federalism; states' rights.
4	NFIB v Sebelius (2012)	Upheld most of Obamacare and tested the limits of federal power.	Federalism; federal power.
5	Dobbs v Jackson (2022)	Returned abortion law to the states: a major revival of states' power.	Federalism; the Court and rights.
6	The failed ERA	The Equal Rights Amendment never cleared the states, showing how hard amendment is.	Entrenchment; weaknesses.
7	The 2018-19 government shutdown	Divided government and the power of the purse produced a 35-day shutdown; the record 43-day 2025 shutdown has since passed it.	Checks and balances; gridlock.
8	Trump impeachments (2019, 2021)	Congress can charge a President, but the Senate did not convict.	Checks and balances; limits.
9	DC v Heller (2008)	Affirmed an individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.	Entrenched rights; interpretation.
10	The 27th Amendment (1992)	Took 202 years to ratify, showing the difficulty of formal change.	Amendment process; entrenchment.

Area 2 Congress

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	The filibuster	Lets a Senate minority block legislation, requiring 60 votes to end debate.	Congress; gridlock.
2	Senate confirmation (Barrett, 2020)	The Senate confirmed a Justice days before an election, showing its power over appointments.	Oversight; checks.
3	Power of the purse	Congress controls spending, its strongest check on the President.	Congressional power; oversight.
4	Divided government (2022 midterms)	A Republican House and Democratic Senate produced gridlock.	Effectiveness; partisanship.
5	The January 6 committee	High-profile oversight of the executive and the 2021 Capitol attack.	Oversight; scrutiny.
6	Overriding a presidential veto	Two-thirds of both houses can override, a rare but real check.	Checks and balances.
7	The debt-ceiling standoffs	Recurring brinkmanship over borrowing shows Congress's muscle and dysfunction.	Power of the purse; gridlock.
8	Gerrymandering	Redrawn districts entrench incumbents and distort representation.	Representation; reform.
9	Pork and earmarks	Targeted spending used to build coalitions for legislation.	Representation; lawmaking.
10	The War Powers Resolution (1973)	An attempt to claw back war-making power from the President.	Congress vs President; foreign policy.

Area 3 The presidency

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	Executive orders	Direct presidential directives (Trump's travel ban; Biden's reversals) that bypass Congress.	Informal power; imperial presidency.
2	The veto	A formal Article II power to block legislation.	Formal power; checks.
3	Supreme Court appointments	Trump's three appointments reshaped the Court for a generation.	Presidential power; the Court.
4	War powers and the 2026 strikes on Iran	US military action against Iran reopened the war-powers clash with Congress.	Foreign policy; Congress vs President.
5	Executive agreements	Deals such as the Iran nuclear deal and Paris avoid the Senate treaty vote.	Informal power; foreign policy.
6	EXOP and the cabinet	The Executive Office and cabinet extend presidential reach.	Sources of power.
7	Signing statements	Presidents note how they will interpret laws they sign.	Informal power; limits.
8	The pardon power	An almost unchecked Article II power, used controversially.	Formal power.
9	Impeachment as a check	Congress can charge the President, constraining the office.	Limits; checks and balances.
10	Persuasion and the State of the Union	Neustadt: presidential power is the power to persuade.	Informal power; limits.

Area 4 The Supreme Court and civil rights

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	Marbury v Madison (1803)	The foundation of judicial review.	The Court's power.
2	Brown v Board (1954)	Ended segregated schooling, a landmark of civil rights and judicial activism.	Civil rights; activism.
3	Roe v Wade (1973)	Established a constitutional right to abortion (later overturned).	Rights; activism.
4	Dobbs v Jackson (2022)	Overturned Roe, returning abortion to the states.	Rights; restraint/federalism.
5	Obergefell v Hodges (2015)	Legalised same-sex marriage nationwide.	Civil rights; activism.
6	Citizens United (2010)	Allowed unlimited independent political spending as free speech.	Rights; money in politics.
7	SFFA v Harvard (2023)	Struck down race-conscious university admissions (affirmative action).	Civil rights; the Court's direction.
8	DC v Heller (2008)	Affirmed an individual right to bear arms.	Rights; interpretation.
9	The Barrett appointment (2020)	Confirmed days before an election, fuelling the politicisation debate.	Appointments; politicisation.
10	Bush v Gore (2000)	The Court effectively decided a presidential election.	Politicisation; the Court's reach.

Area 5 Democracy and participation

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	The Electoral College	Lets a candidate lose the popular vote yet win (2000, 2016).	Elections; democracy debates.
2	Citizens United and super PACs	Unleashed large independent spending, reshaping campaign finance.	Campaign finance; participation.
3	Primaries and caucuses	Voters, not party bosses, choose nominees, weakening parties.	Parties; candidate selection.
4	Incumbency advantage	Sitting members win re-election at very high rates.	Congress; representation.
5	The NRA	A powerful pressure group shaping gun policy and elections.	Pressure groups; methods.
6	Party polarisation	Democrats and Republicans have moved sharply apart.	Parties; gridlock.
7	The two-party system	Winner-take-all rules entrench two dominant parties.	Parties; electoral system.
8	Iron triangles	Links between agencies, committees and interest groups shape policy.	Pressure groups; power.
9	Voter ID laws and turnout	Contested rules that affect who votes.	Participation; democracy debates.
10	Gerrymandering	Manipulated districts distort representation and entrench parties.	Elections; representation.

Area 6 Comparative theories

#	Example	What it shows (AO2)	Best used for
1	Rational theory and re-election	Members of Congress act as rational individuals seeking re-election.	Rational theory.
2	Cultural theory and US individualism	Shared values (individualism, distrust of the state) shape US politics versus the UK.	Cultural theory; comparison.
3	Structural theory and the codified constitution	A codified, entrenched constitution channels behaviour differently from the UK's flexible one.	Structural theory; comparison.
4	Rational theory and presidential bargaining	The President bargains rationally with Congress to get results.	Rational theory; presidency.
5	Cultural theory and gun culture	The Second Amendment reflects a distinctive political culture.	Cultural theory.
6	Structural theory and federalism	Federal structures give US states power a unitary UK gives to no one.	Structural theory; federalism.
7	Rational theory and voter choice	Voters weigh costs and benefits when choosing.	Rational theory; participation.
8	Cultural theory and religiosity	Religion shapes US politics more than UK politics.	Cultural theory; comparison.
9	Structural theory and separation of powers	Separated institutions explain gridlock the UK's fusion avoids.	Structural theory; comparison.
10	Comparing the US and UK Supreme Courts	Different structures produce different judicial power.	Structural theory; the courts.