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Unit II Gov Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Whip | Party Leaders who work with the majority leader or the minority leader to cant votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party |
| Advise or Consent | Situation where a weak executive branch of a gov enacts something previously approved by the legislative branch or vise versa |
| Wesberry v. Sanders | Court case where court ruled that districts in US house of reps must be approximately equal in population |
| 27th amendment | Prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of congress members until next election has occurred |
| Baker v. Carr | Court case that states the redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question under the 14th amendment |
| Bicameral | Legislation divided into 2 houses |
| Caucuses | meeting where local members of a political party register their preferences among candidates running for office |
| Term Limits | legal restriction that limits the number of terms an office holder can serve |
| Cloture rule | rule that preserves congress tradition of unlimited debate |
| Committee Chairment | The most important influencers of the congressional agenda |
| Standing Committee | Separate subject matter committees in each house or congress that handle bills in different policy areas. |
| Shaw v. Reno | Case restricting racial gerrymandering |
| Committee of the whole | Meeting of all of congress using the rules based on those of a committee |
| Conference Committees | Committees formed when senate or house pass a particular bill in different forms. The committee formed merges the two bills |
| 17th Amendment | Allowed voters to directly vote for senators |
| Sequential Referral | Occurs when a measure is referred to an additional committee |
| Congressional oversight | Oversight by congress over the executive branch |
| Select committees | Committees appointed for a specific purpose |
| Safe Seats | Legislative seat that is likely to be retained |
| Constituent services | Service helping individuals experiencing some issue with a federal federal branch agency |
| Continuous Body | Legislative body that achieves stability by staggering the terms of its members |
| Rules committee | committee of the house that reviews most bills before they go to full house |
| Discharge petition | bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor without a report from the committee |
| Riders | term for a nongermane amendment to a bill |
| Earmarks | provisions that direct funds to a specific recipient |
| Trustee model | model where constituents elect their representatives as trustees for their constitiuency |
| Delegate model | model where constituents elect their representatives as delegates for their constituency |
| Expressed powers | Powers of gov explicitly stated in the constitution |
| Filibuster | Senate strategy where opponents to a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate from voting on a bill. |
| Franking privilege | Mailing newsletters to constituents without paying postage |
| Gerrymandering | manipulating the boundaries of an electoral district to favor one party or class |
| House Judiciary Committee | Standing committee that oversees the administration of justice within federal courts |
| Redistricting | dividing an area into new political districts |
| Reapportionment | Process that happens ever 10 years that redistributes the seats in the house to reflect each states population |
| House ways and means committee | The committee that writes tax code with the Senate committee |
| Implied powers | Power of the gov that go beyond those listed in the Constitution |
| Quorum | minimum members of an assembly that must be present |
| Incumbency | The holding of an office |
| Pork barrel spending | Money allocated to fed projects, grants, and contracts that are available to state, local gov, businesses, colleges, etc |
| Joint committees | Committees where members are drawn from both houses |
| Omnibus bill | Single document accepted in a single vote that consists of several bills |
| Markup Session | Process where a congressional committee debates and amends proposed legislation |
| Multiple referals | Process where a bill is referred to a second committee after the first has finished acting |
| Christmas tree bill | Bill with many floor amendment tacked on |
| Closed and open rules | Rules where constraints on amendments range from not allowed to all amendments allowed |
| Contract with america | legislative agenda advocated by the 1994 republican party |
| elastic clause | Final paragraph of Article I, section 8 which authorized congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out enumerated powers |
| Germane amendments | Amendments similar to the original bill |
| Lite-item veto | The ability of governors to veto particular portions of a bill |
| Logrolling | Congress members making deals to vote for each others legislation |
| Malapportionment | An unequitable apportioning of representative to oa legislative body |
| Pigeonholing | When a committee doesn't act of a bill |
| President pro tempore | high ranking senate member who goes in place of the VP when the VP is absent |
| Votes: Teller, voice, division, electronic | Different ways to vote in the house |
| Ad hoc style | The structure used by the executive branch |
| War powers act | Law that prevents the president from committing the US to an a armed conflict without congressional approval |
| Veto | Power of the president to send a bill back to congress |
| Bully pulpit | the ability to speak out on any issue |
| Cabinet | group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the constitiution |
| Signing statements | official pronouncements issued by the president near the passage of a bill |
| Chief of staff | Job directly beneath the president to make sure everyone has the presidents interests |
| 23rd amendment | Amendment makes each state receive presidential electors equal to the combined number of seats in the house and senate |
| Circular system style | model where the president plays a dominant role in the everyday happenings in the White House |
| Lame Duck Period | Time during which a successor has been selected but the incumbent still has time left in office |
| 20th amendment | moved the beginning and end of the terms of president and VP |
| 12th amendment | required a person to receive a majority of electoral votes to win the presidency |
| Cold war | Hostility between the US and Soviet Union in which they were often brought to the brink of war |
| Executive privilege | Privilege claimed by the president for the executive branch |
| Electoral College | Unique US institution created by the constitution providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the senate parties |
| Executive office of the president | comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president |
| State of the Union | Annual message delivered by the president to a joint session of congress on the condition of the nation |
| Commander in Cheif | The president is the leader of the armed forces |
| Executive order | regulations originating with the executive branch |
| Executive agreement | agreement between the heads of gov of two or more nations that have not been ratified by the legislature |
| Recess appointments | the president can make a temp appointment when senate is in recess |
| Pyramid style | Style based on military-like chain of command |
| Honeymoon period | Period of popularity of a new leader |
| Presidential Succession Act | Placed the speaker of the house in the line of succession |
| Impeachment | Political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law |
| Imperial presidency | Term used to define a danger to the US Constitution system allowing president to abuse presidential prerogatives during emergencies |
| Pocket Veto | Veto that occurs when congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president. President lets the bill die by doing nothing |
| Office of Management and Budget | Office that prepares the presidents budget and advises the president on proposals. |
| Line item veto act | Act ruled unconstitutional that granted the president the power to line item veto budget bills |
| Budget reform and Impoundment act | Act to establish a new congressional budget process |
| Nation Security Council | Committee that links the presidents foreign and military policy advisors |
| Stewardship theory | Where the president practices the gov style of basing it on belief |
| Divided government | When the executive and legislative branches are controlled by two parties |
| National Economic Council | Forum used by the president for consideration of domestic and international economic policy matters |
| Authorization of spending | The process by which the national budget is approved |
| Appropriations | Act of congress that funds programs within limits established by authorization bills |
| Spoils system | Practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters |
| Red tape | Excessive bureaucracy |
| Pendleton Civil Service Act, Sunshine Act, and Whistleblower Protection | Provided federal jobs be awarded on merit and competitive exams, Requires open meeting of bodies that head federal agencies, and Protects federal whistleblowers |
| Office of personal management | Office in charge of hiring for most federal agencies |
| Merit system | System of hiring and promoting gov employees based on their ability to perform a job |
| Issue network | alliance of various individuals who unite to promote a common cause |
| Iron triange | mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees |
| Hatch Act | Prohibits civil service employees from actively participating in partisan politics while on duty |
| Federal Trade Commission | Responsible for regulating business practices and controlling monopolistic behavior |
| Freedom of Information Act | Allows the public to gain access to gov docs |
| Civil Service Commission | Gov agency created to select employees of federal gov on merit |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Domestic Intelligence and security service of the US |
| Competitive Service | Positions subject to the civil service laws passed by congress to ensure that all applicants and employees receive fair and equal treatment |
| Compliance Monitoring | find vulnerabilities and mistakes in the ways employees and officials handle data |
| Discretionary Authority | An agencies ability to decide whether to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws |
| Independent Executive Agencies | Agencies that exist outside federal executive departments and executive office of the president |
| Independent Regulatory Agencies | Same an Independent Executive Agencies except they have been assigned rulemaking responsibilities and authorities by congress. |
| National Performance Review | Clinton-gore admin initiative to reform the way the federal gov works |
| Civil Service Reform Act | Reformed Civil Services of the US gov after the Watergate scandal |
| Writ of Certiorari | A formal doc calling up a case for review |
| Amicus curiae brief | Legal brief's submitted by a friend of the court for the purpose of influencing a courts decision by raising additional points of view |
| John Roberts | George W. Bush's nomination for chief justice |
| Earl Warren | Chief justice who presided from 1953-1969 |
| Rule of four | If four justices agree to gran review of a case |
| US District courts | Trial courts of the US Federal judiciary |
| US Circuit Court of appeals | Most powerful and influential courts in the US after the supreme court |
| Persuasive Precedent | Precedent and other legal writing that is not a binding precedent but useful and relevant in guiding judges in making court decisions |
| US Supreme Court | Pinnacle of the US judicial system |
| Appellate jurisdiction | Courts with this hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts |
| Senatorial courtesy | Unwritten tradition where nominations for state level federal judicial posts are usually not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator of the presidents party |
| Solicitor general | Presidents appointee and third ranking office in the department of justice |
| Stare decisis | Latin phrase meaning "let the decision state" |
| Attorney General | The attorney and legal advisor for the executive branch |
| Dred Scott v. Sandford | Court case where the supreme court rules that slave could not be citizens |
| Binding Precedent | Legal rule and principle articulate in the appellate court that must be followed by lower courts within its jurisdiction |
| Precedent | How similar cases have been decided in the past |
| Plea Bargain | Involves the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge |
| Plantiff | Person who brings a case against another in the court of law |
| Petitioner | refers to the party who petitioned the supreme court to review a case |
| Injunction | Legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts |
| Judicial activism | An approach to decision making in which judges sometimes make bold policy decisions |
| Judicial self-restraint | Ensures that courts invalidate or impose upon the liberty to make laws |
| Litmus test | Questions asked of a potential candidate for high office to determine whether the nominate official would proceed with the appointment |
| John Marshall | Fourth chief justice of the US from 1801-1835 |
| Original Jurisdiction | Jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first |
| Majority opinion | judiciary opinion that is joined by more that half the judges |
| In forma pauperis | Allows a poor person to bring suit without liability for the cost of the suit |
| Judicial review | power of the courts to determine whether acts of congress are in accords with the constitution |
| Defendant | Person who is the accused party in a court case |
| Dissenting opinion | opinion in a legal cases written by one or more judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion |
| Concurring opinion | a written opinion by one or more judges of a court which agrees with the decision made by the majority of the court |
| Department of Justice | federal executive department of the US tasked with enforcing federal laws |
| Class action lawsuit | lawsuits in which a small number of people sue on behalf of all people in similar circumstances |
| Constitutional question | any legal issue that requires the interpretation of the constitution to resolve an issue |
| Common law | body of unwritten laws based of legal precedents established by the courts |
| Per Curium | a court opinion issued in the name of the court rather than specific judges |
| Litigants | Someone involved in a lawsuit |
| Diversity Citizenship | opposing parties involved in lawsuits are citizens of different states or countries |
| Writ of mandamus | Judicial remedy in the form of an order from a court to any gov or subordinate court or corporation to do some specific act which that body is obliged wunder law to do |
| Standing to sue | Requirement that plaintiff have a serious interest in a case |
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