Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
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 |
Created by:
mrcoia
Popular Histology sets