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