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| laws that decree a person guilty of a crime without a trial |
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| the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee certain rights and liberties to the people |
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| areas of personal freedom with which governments are prevented from interfering |
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| "clear and present danger" test |
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| test to determine whether speech is protected or unprotected, based on its capacity to present a "clear and present danger" to society |
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| the Fifth Amendment right providing that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime |
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| the right of every citizen to be protected against arbitrary action by national or state governments |
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| the right of government to take private property for public use |
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| the First Amendment clause that says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." This means that a "wall of separation" exists between church and state |
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| laws that declare an action to be illegal after it has been committed |
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| the ability of courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment |
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| speech that directly incites damaging conduct |
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| the First Amendment clause that protects a citizen's right to believe and practice whatever religion one chooses |
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| jury that determines whether sufficient evidence is available to justify a trial; grand juries do not rule on the accused's guilt or innocence |
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| a court order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention |
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| a rule articulated in Lemon v. Kurtzman that government action toward religion is permissible if it is secular in purpose, neither promotes nor inhibits the practice of religion, and does not lead to "excessive entanglement" with religion |
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| a written statement, made in "reckless disregard of the truth," which is considered damaging to a victim because it is "malicious, scandalous, and defamatory" |
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| the requirement, articulated by the Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona (1966), that persons under arrest must be informed prior to police interrogation of their rights to remain silent and to have the benefit of legal counsel |
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| Miller v. California- quality or state of a work that taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest in sex by depicting sexual conduct in a patently offensive way and that lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value and also need to consider local not national standards |
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| an effort by a governmental agency to block the publication of material it deems libelous or harmful in some other way; censorship. In the United States, the courts forbid prior restraint except under the most extraordinary circumstances |
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| the right to be left alone, which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to entail free access to birth control and abortions |
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| the process by which different protections in the Bill of Rights were incorporated into the Fourteenth Amendment, thus guaranteeing citizens protection from state as well as national governments/ Palco vs. Connecticut |
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| an oral statement, made in "reckless disregard of the truth," which is considered damaging to the victim because it is "malicious, scandalous, and defamatory" |
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| speech accompanied by conduct or physical activity such as sit-ins, picketing, and demonstrations; protection of this form of speech under the First Amendment is conditional, and restrictions imposed by state or local authorities are acceptable if properly balanced by considerations of public order |
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| government policies or programs that seek to redress past injustices against specified groups by making special efforts to provide members of these groups with access to educational and employment opportunities |
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| Brown v. Board of Education |
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| the 1954 Supreme Court decision that struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine as fundamentally unequal. This case eliminated state power to use race as a criterion of discrimination in law and provided the national government with the power to intervene by exercising strict regulatory policies against discriminatory actions |
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| obligation imposed on government to take positive action to protect citizens from any illegal action of government agencies as well as of other private citizens |
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| literally, "by fact"; practices that occur even when there is no legal enforcement, such as school segregation in much of the United States today |
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| literally, "by law"; legally enforced practices, such as school segregation in the South before the 1960s |
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| use of any unreasonable and unjust criterion of exclusion |
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| provision of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing citizens "the equal protection of the laws." This clause has been the basis for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and other groups |
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| one of three Civil War amendments; guaranteed voting rights for African American men |
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| one of three Civil War amendments; guaranteed equal protection and due process |
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| apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party |
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| test used by the Supreme Court in gender discrimination cases, which places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is unconstitutional |
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| laws enacted by southern states following Reconstruction that discriminated against African Americans |
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| a practice in which banks refuse to make loans to people living in certain geographic locations |
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| "separate but equal" rule |
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| rule doctrine that public accommodations could be segregated by race but still be equal |
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| test used by the Supreme Court in racial discrimination cases and other cases involving civil liberties and civil rights, which places the burden of proof on the government rather than on the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional |
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| one of three Civil War amendments; abolished slavery |
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| agencies of socialization |
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| social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values |
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| a specific preference on a particular issue |
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| a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner |
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| today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements. Conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens' freedom |
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| a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials |
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| a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential |
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| a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men illusion of saliency the impression conveyed by polls that something is important to the public when actually it is not |
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| today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social services; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities, and women; and greater concern for consumers and the environment |
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| freedom from governmental control |
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| the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete |
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| failure to identify the true distribution of opinion within a population because of errors such as ambiguous or poorly worded questions |
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| the ability to influence government and politics |
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| a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government |
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| the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based |
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| a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent |
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| citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events |
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| scientific instruments for measuring public opinion |
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| a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion |
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| a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of ten-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample |
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| attitudes and views that are especially important to the individual holding them |
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| a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population |
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| polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample |
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| polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions |
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| basic principles that shape a person's opinions about political issues and events |
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| American political community |
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| citizens who are eligible to vote and who participate in American political life |
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| a sense of concern among members of the political community about public, social, and political life, expressed through participation in social and political organizations |
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| a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men |
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| a lawsuit or legal proceeding; as a form of political participation, an attempt to seek relief in a court of law |
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| a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature |
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| the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity |
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| political activities, such as voting, contacting political officials, volunteering for a campaign, or participating in a protest, whose purpose is to influence government |
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| a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for registration. Poll taxes were rendered unconstitutional in national elections by the Twenty-fourth Amendment, and in state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966 |
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| participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization |
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| an attempt, usually through the use of paid consultants, to establish a favorable relationship with the public and influence its political opinions |
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| status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige |
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| the right to vote; also called franchise |
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| the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote |
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| a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters |
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| the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress |
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| the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force. In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every thirty years |
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| nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and grants tax-exempt status to nonprofit advocacy groups |
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| a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men |
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| strong party organizations in late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century American cities. These machines were led by "bosses" who controlled party nominations and patronage |
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| the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate |
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| the party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate |
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| an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district; each voter is given the number of votes equivalent to the number of seats to be filled |
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| a national party political institution that nominates the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, establishes party rules, and writes and ratifies the party's platform |
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| the process through which political parties select their candidates for election to public office |
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| partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates |
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| an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another |
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| the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff |
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| the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters |
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| a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues |
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| a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast |
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| an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda |
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| organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices |
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| proportional representation |
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| a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote |
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| responsible party government |
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| a set of principles that idealizes a strong role for parties in defining their stance on issues, mobilizing voters, and fulfilling their campaign promises once in office |
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| an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the United States |
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| money contributed directly to political parties for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws |
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| parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties |
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| a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control |
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| attempts to draw district boundaries so as to create districts made up primarily of disadvantaged or underrepresented minorities |
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| an effort by political candidates and their staffs to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in the quest for political office |
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| a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters |
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| a presidential nominating caucus open only to registered party members |
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| a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day |
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| the result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket |
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| political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention |
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| the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president 501c(4) committee nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy. Under Section 501c(4) such a group may spend up to half its revenue for political purposes |
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| nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups |
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| apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party |
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| a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds |
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| majority-minority district |
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| a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district |
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| a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in the relevant district |
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| congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections |
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| a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend |
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| a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election |
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| a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues |
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| a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast |
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| political action committee (PAC) |
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| a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns |
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| elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election |
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| proportional representation |
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| a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote |
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| voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate |
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| procedure to allow voters an opportunity to remove state officials from office before their terms expire |
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| the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives. This happens every ten years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts |
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| the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection |
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| voting based on the past performance of a candidate |
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| money contributed directly to political parties for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws |
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| a fifteen-, thirty-, or sixty second television campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience |
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| a convention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials |
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| a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators |
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| system in which all of a state's presidential nominating delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins the most votes, while runners-up receive no delegates |
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| benefits, sought by groups, that are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers |
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| those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring them |
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| a lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the group's position |
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| special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join |
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| institutional advertising |
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| advertising designed to create a positive image of an organization |
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| individuals who organize to influence the government's programs and policies |
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| the stable, cooperative relationship that often develops among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups |
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| a loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists, and interest groups drawn together by a specific policy issue |
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| a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature |
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| special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join |
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| an organized group in which members actually play a substantial role, sitting on committees and engaging in group projects |
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| a political movement that began in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences. The New Politics movement strengthened public interest groups |
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| the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government. The outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation |
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| political action committee (PAC) |
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| a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns |
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| groups that claim they serve the general good rather than only their own particular interest |
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| selective benefits of group membership that emphasize the purpose and accomplishments of the group |
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| selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness raising |
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| a type of membership group in which a professional staff conducts most of the group's activities |
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