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Institutions Terms

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Answer
Appropriation   Money that Congress has allocated to be spent  
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Appropriations Committee   Congressional committee that deals with federal spending  
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Appellate Jurisdiction   Authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court  
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Bureaucracy   Departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions in the executive branch of government  
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Casework   Personal work done by a member of Congress for his constituents  
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Civil law   Concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties  
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Class Action Lawsuit   Lawsuit brought on behalf of a class of people against a defendant, e.g., lawsuits brought by those who have suffered from smoking against tobacco companies  
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Closed Rule   Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to a bill  
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Cloture   Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote  
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Concurring Opinion   Written by a Supreme Court Justice who voted with the majority, but for different reasons  
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Conference Committee   Works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill  
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Constituents   The people who are represented by elected officials  
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Discharge Petition   A motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in committee  
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Dissenting Opinion   Written by a Supreme Court Justice (or Justices) who express a minority viewpoint in a case  
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Executive Agreement   An agreement between the President and another head of state that, unlike a treaty, does not require Senate consent  
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Executive Order   Presidential rule or regulation that has the force of law  
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Executive Privilege   The privilege of a President and his staff to withhold their “privileged” conversations from Congress or the courts  
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Filibuster   Nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote  
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Finance Committee   Senate committee that handles tax bills  
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Franking Privilege   Allows members of Congress to send mail postage free  
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Gerrymandering   Redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other  
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Hold   Senate maneuver that allows a Senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment  
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Impeachment   House action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing. Conviction requires 2/3 vote from the Senate  
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Impoundment   Refusal of a President to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress  
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Injunction   Court order that forbids a party from performing a certain action  
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Judicial Activism   Philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems  
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Judicial Restraint   Philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law  
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Judicial Review   Power of the courts to review the constitutionality of laws or government actions  
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Legislative Oversight   Ongoing process of congressional monitoring of the executive branch to ensure that the latter complies with the law  
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Legislative Veto   Process in which Congress overturned rules and regulations proposed by executive branch agencies. Struck down in 1983.  
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Line Item Veto   Power of most governors (and President Clinton for only a few years) to delete or reduce funding in a bill on a line by line basis  
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Logrolling   When two members of Congress agree to vote for each other’s bill  
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Majority Opinion   Written to express the majority viewpoint in a Supreme Court case  
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Mark Up   Committee action to amend a proposed bill  
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Merit System   System of hiring federal workers based upon competitive exams  
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Open Rule   House Rules Committee rule that allows amendments to a bill  
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Original Jurisdiction   Authority of a court to first hear a case  
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Patronage   Power to appoint loyal party members to federal positions  
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Pocket Veto   Presidential killing of a bill by inaction after Congress adjourns  
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Political Appointees   Those who have received presidential appointments to office. Contrast with Civil Service employees, who receive federal jobs by competitive exams  
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Pork Barrel   Wasteful congressional spending, e.g. funding for a Lawrence Welk museum in North Dakota  
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Quorum   Minimum number of members needed for the House or Senate to meet  
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Reapportionment   Reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census  
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Redistricting   Redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature  
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Red Tape   Complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies  
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Remand   The Supreme Court’s sending of a case back to the original court in which it was heard  
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Rider   Amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill. Also known as a nongermane amendment.  
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Rule of Four   The Supreme Court will hear a case if four Justices agree to do so  
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Rules Committee   The “traffic cop” of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill  
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Senatorial Courtesy   Tradition in which the President consults with the senators within a state in which an appointment is to be made  
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Seniority System   Tradition in which the Senator from the majority party with the most years of service on a committee becomes the chairman of that committee  
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Spoils System   see patronage above  
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Standing Committees   The permanent congressional committees that handle legislation  
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Stare Decisis   Latin for “let the decision stand.” Supreme Court policy of following precedent in deciding cases  
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Sunset Laws   Laws that automatically expire after a given time  
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Ways and Means Committee   House committee that handles tax bills  
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Whistleblower   An employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government or one of its contractors  
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Writ of Certiorari   Issued by the Supreme Court to a lower court to send up the records of a case so that it can be reviewed by the high court  
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Writ of Habeas Corpus   Court order that the authorities show cause for why they are holding a prisoner in custody. Deters unlawful imprisonment.  
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Writ of Mandamus   Court order directing a party to perform a certain action  
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