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Frye Gopo
important terms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Amicus curiae brief | “friend of the court” brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision. |
| Appellate jurisdiction | authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court. |
| Balancing the ticket | occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket. |
| Blanket primary | election to choose candidates that is open to independents and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties. |
| Block grant | money granted by the federal government to the states for a broad purpose (e.g., transportation) rather than for a narrow purpose (e.g., school lunch program). |
| Categorical grant | money granted by the federal government to the states for a narrow purpose (e.g., school lunch program) rather than for a broad purpose (e.g., transportation). |
| Checks and balances | system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches, e.g., presidential veto of a congressional law. |
| Clear and present danger doctrine | judicial interpretation of the First Amendment that government may not ban speech unless such speech poses an imminent threat to society. |
| Closed primary | party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voter may not cross party lines. |
| Cloture | Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote. |
| Commerce clause | gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes. Granted through Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution. |
| Conference committee | works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill. |
| Cooperative federalism | system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems. |
| Direct election | election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College. |
| Direct primary | election in which the people choose candidates for office. |
| Divided government | government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress. |
| Elastic clause | states that Congress can exercise those powers that are “necessary and proper” for carrying out the enumerated powers |
| Elite theory | theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy. |
| Entitlements | federal benefit payments to which recipients have a legal right, e.g., Social Security. Also known as uncontrollables. |
| Establishment clause | provision of the First Amendment that prohibits Congress from establishing an official state religion. This is the basis for separation of church and state. |
| Exclusionary rule | Supreme Court guideline that excludes the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial. |
| 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. |
| Factions | term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups. |
| Federalism | constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments. |
| Federalist papers | group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of NY to adopt the Constitution. |
| Filibuster | nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote. |
| Franking privilege | allows members of Congress to send mail postage free. |
| Gender gap | difference in voting patterns for men and women, particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates. |
| General election | election in which the officeholders are chosen. Contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen. |
| Gerrymandering | redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other. |
| Horse race coverage | the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground. |
| 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. |
| Incorporation | applying the Bill of Rights to the states. |
| total incorporation | view is that the states must obey all provisions of the Bill of Rights because of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. |
| selective incorporation | view is that the Bill of Rights is to be applied to the states in a more gradual manner on a case by case basis. |
| Incumbent | an officeholder who is seeking reelection. |
| Independent leaners | voter not registered with a political party but tend to vote for candidates of one particular party. |
| Iron triangle | an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making. |
| 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 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. |
| Lobbying | attempting to influence policy makers. |
| Mandates | requirements imposed by the national government upon the states. |
| unfunded mandates | requirements imposed by the national government upon the states but lack funding. |
| Miranda warnings | warnings that must be read to suspects prior to questioning if responses are to be used in a criminal trial. Suspects must be advised that they have the rights of silence and counsel. |
| Open primary | election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party. |
| Original jurisdiction | authority of a court to first hear a case. |
| Party identification | a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party. |
| Pluralism | theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition. |
| Plurality elections | such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority. |
| Plurality | more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) of popular votes in 1992, but not a majority. |
| Political Action Committee (PAC) | an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns. |
| Political culture | the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government. |
| Political socialization | process in which one acquires his/her political beliefs. |
| Prior restraint | When a court stops expression before it is made, e.g., prohibiting a demonstration by a radical group because the assembly is likely to become violent. Presumed to be unconstitutional. |
| Pure independents | voters who have no consistent pattern of party voting. |
| Realigning (critical) election | an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932. |
| Redistricting | redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature |
| Reserved powers | powers held by the states through the 10th Amendment. Any power not granted to the US government is belongs to the states. |
| 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. |
| Shays’ Rebellion | 1786 revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the Constitutional Convention. |
| Single member district system | system in which the people elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties. |
| Standing committees | the permanent congressional committees that handle legislation. |
| Ways and Means Committee | House committee that handles tax bills. |
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MrFrye
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