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American Government
Final
106
Political Studies
Undergraduate 2
12/07/2011

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Cards

Term
Gerrymandering
Definition
Redrawing electoral district lines to give an advantage to a particular party or candidate
Term
Cracking
Definition
The process of spreading out voters of a particular type among many districts in order to deny them a sufficiently large voting group in any particular congressional district
Term
Majority-minority districts
Definition
districts drawn to ensure that a racial minority makes up the majority of voters
Term
Open-seat election
Definition
an election in which there is no incumbent officeholder
Term
franking privilege
Definition
public subsidization of mail from members of congress to their constituents
Term
casework
Definition
services performed by congress for constituents
Term
enumerated powers
Definition
powers of the federal government specifically mentioned in the constitution
Term
Elastic clause
Definition
article 1, section 8 of constitution AKA necessary and proper clause. gives congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilities
Term
Bicameral
Definition
consisting of two houses or chambers
Term
delegate
Definition
according to edmund burke, an elected rep who acts in perfect accord with the wishes of his constituents
Term
trustee
Definition
according to burke, a rep that uses his own judgement, rather than instructions from constituents
Term
descriptive representation
Definition
AKA statistical rep; means that the compostition of a representative body reflects the demographic composition of the population as a whole
Term
constituency
Definition
district of a legislator
Term
constituent
Definition
citizen who lives in the district of an elected offical
Term
reapportionment
Definition
reallocation of House seats among states, done after the national census every 10 years, to ensure that seats are held by the states in proportion to the size of their populations
Term
redistricting
Definition
the redrawing of congressional districts lines within a state to ensure roughly equal proportions within each district
Term
partisan
Definition
a committed member of a party; seeing issues from the point of view of the interests of a single party
Term
pork/pork barrel
Definition
projects designed to bring to the constituency jobs and public money for which members of congress can claim credit
Term
party conference
Definition
an organization of the members of a political party to the house or senate
Term
caucus
Definition
regional, ethnic, racial, or economic subgroup of legislators within the House or senate; also used to describe the party in the house and senate
Term
speaker of the house
Definition
presiding officer of the house of representatives, elected by the vote of the house members
Term
whip
Definition
political party member in congress charged with keeping members informed of the plans of the party leadership, counting votes before action on important issues, and rounding up party members for votes on bills
Term
standing committees
Definition
relatively permanent congressional commitees that address specific areas of legislation
Term
hearings
Definition
the taking of testimony by a congressional commitee or subcommittee
Term
markup
Definition
process of revising a bill in a committee
Term
select committees
Definition
temporary committees in congress created to conduct studies or investigations. they have no power to report bills
Term
joint committees/conference committees
Definition
congressional committees with members from both house and senate
Term
seniority
Definition
principle that one attains a position on the basis of length of service
Term
ranking minority member
Definition
the highest ranking member of the minority party on a congressional committee
Term
reciprocity
Definition
deferral by members of congress to the judgement of subject matter specialists; mainly on minor technical bills
Term
unanimous consent
Definition
legislative action taken "without objection" as a way to expedite business; used to conduct much of the business of the senate
Term
hold
Definition
tactic by which single senator can prevent action on a bill or nomination; based on implied threat of refusing to agree to unanimous consent on other senate matters or willingness to filibuster the bill or nomination
Term
filibuster
Definition
parliamentary device used in the senate to prevent a bill from coming to vote by "talking it to death" made possible by the norm of unlimited death
Term
cloture
Definition
a vote to end a filibuster or a debate; requires the votes of three-fifths of the membership of the senate
Term
hopper
Definition
box in the house of representatives in which proposal bills are placed
Term
discharge petition
Definition
a petition signed by 218 house members to force out of committee and onto the floor for consideration a bill that has been before a committee for at least 30 days while the house is in session
Term
veto
Definition
presidential disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of congress. the presidents veto can be overriden by a two-thirds vote in each house
Term
pocket veto
Definition
rejection of a bill if the president takes no action on it for 10 days and congress has adjourned during that period
Term
oversight
Definition
congressional responsibility for monitoring the activites of the exectutive branch agencies and personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent
Term
impeachment
Definition
house action bringing formal charges against a member of the executive branch of the federal judiciary that may or may not lead to removal from office by the senate
Term
habeas corpus
Definition
the legal doctrine that a person who is arrested must have a timely hearing before a judge
Term
state of the union
Definition
annual address to the nation by the president, delivered before a joint session of congress, on the state of the nation and his legislative proposals for addressing national problems
Term
executive order
Definition
a rule or legislation issued by the president that has the force of law, based either on the constitutional powers of the presidency or on congressional statutes
Term
unitary executive
Definition
constitutional doctrine that propses that the exectutive branch is under the direct control of the president who has all authority necessary to control the actions of the federal bureaucracy personnel and units without interference from the other federal branches
Term
treaty
Definition
a formal internation agreement between two or more countries; in the US, requires the "advice and consent" of the senate
Term
executive agreement
Definition
an agreement with another country signed by the president that has the force of law, like a treaty; does not acquire senate approval; originally used for minor technical matters, now an important tool of presidential power in foreign affairs
Term
institutional presidency
Definition
the permanent beauracracy associated with the presidency, designed to help the incumbent of the office carry out his responsibilites
Term
chief of staff
Definition
top advisor to the president who also manages the white house staff
Term
national security advisor
Definition
a top foreign policy and defense advisor to the president who heads the national security council
Term
executive office of the president (EOP)
Definition
a group of organizations that advise the president on a wide range of issus; includes the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council, and the Council of Economic Advisers
Term
office of management and budget (OMB)
Definition
part of the executive office of the president that advises on the federal budget, domestic legislation, and regulations; helps the president prepare the annual budget request to congress and does oversight of rule making by executive branch agencies
Term
council of economic advisers (CEA)
Definition
an organization in the executive office of the president, make up a small group of economists who advise on economic policy
Term
National security council (NSC)
Definition
an organization in the EOP made up of officials from the State and Defense departments, CIA, and the military, who advise on foreign and security affairs
Term
divided government
Definition
control of the executive and the legislative branches by different political parties
Term
presidential popularity
Definition
percentage of americans who approve a president's "handling of his job"
Term
federal bureaucracy
Definition
totality of the departments and agencies of the executive branch of the national government
Term
bureaucracy
Definition
generally refers to a large, hierarchal organization structured by rules and a clear chain of command, where people are selected for positions on the basis of examination or other determination of qualifications; can be in public or private sector
Term
civil servants
Definition
government workers employed under the merit system; does not include political appointees
Term
civil service
Definition
federal government civilian employees, excluding political appointees
Term
departments
Definition
generally the largest units in the executive branch, each headed by a cabinet secretary
Term
bureau
Definition
generally a subunit of a cabinet department
Term
agency
Definition
a general name used for a subunit of a cabinet department
Term
independent executive agency
Definition
report directly to the president; created to give greater control to the president in carrying out some executive function or to highlight problems (EPA)
Term
government corporation
Definition
unit in the executive branch that operates like a private business but provides some public service
Term
quasi-government organization
Definition
unit of government that is part public and part private
Term
independent regulatory commission
Definition
an entity in the executive branch that is outside the immediate control of the president and congress that issues rules and regulations to proc the public
Term
foundation, government
Definition
an entity of the executive government that supports the arts or sciences and that is designed to be somewhat insulated from political interference
Term
bureaucrat
Definition
person who works in a bureaucratic organization
Term
cost-benefit analysis
Definition
a method of evaluating rules and regulations by weighing their potential costs against their potential benefits to society
Term
spoils system/patronage
Definition
practice of distributing government offices and contracts to the supporters of the winning party;
Term
unitary executive
Definition
a system in which a central government has complete powers over its constituent units or states
Term
appropriation
Definition
legal authority for federal agencies to spend money from the US Treasury
Term
privatization
Definition
process of turning over certain governmental functions to the private sector
Term
red tape
Definition
overbearing bureauratic rules and procedures
Term
whistle-blowers
Definition
people who bring offical misconduct in their agencies to public attention
Term
judcial review
Definition
power of the supreme court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional
Term
original jurisdiction
Definition
the authority of a court to be the first to hear a patricular kind of case
Term
constitutional courts
Definition
federal courts created by congress under the authority of Article III of the constitution
Term
grand juries
Definition
groups of citizens who decide whether there is sufficient evidence to bring an indictment against accused persons
Term
petit (trial)juries
Definition
juries that hear evidence and sit in judgement on charges brought in civil or criminal
Term
plaintiff
Definition
one who brings suit to court
Term
in forma pauperis
Definition
describing a process by which indigents may file a suit with the supreme court free of charge
Term
writ of certiorari
Definition
an announcement that the supreme court will hear a case on appeal from a lower court; its issuance requires the vote of four of the nine justices
Term
rule of four
Definition
an unwritten practice that requires at least four justices of the supreme court to agree that a case warrants review with whom they formerly dealt in their offical capacity
Term
amicus curiae
Definition
latin for "a friend of the court" describes a brief in which individuals not party to a suit may have their views heard
Term
circuit courts
Definition
the 12 geographical jurisdictions and one special court that hear appeals from the federal district courts
Term
appellate courts
Definition
courts that hear cases on appeal from other courts
Term
briefs
Definition
documents setting out the arguments in legal cases, prepared by attorneys and presented to courts
Term
opinion
Definition
the explanation of the majority's reasoning that accompanies a Supreme Court decision
Term
precedents
Definition
rulings by courts that guide judicial reasoning in subsequent cases
Term
stare decisis
Definition
the legal doctrine that says precedent should guide judicial decision making
Term
concurring opinion
Definition
opinion of one or more judges who vote with the majority on a case but wish to set out different reasons for their decision
Term
dissenting opinion
Definition
the opinion of the judge or judges who are in the minority on a particular case before the supreme court
Term
laissez-faire
Definition
political-economic doctrine that holds that government ought not interfere with the operations of the free market
Term
judicial activism
Definition
actions by the courts that go beyond the strict role of the judiciary as interpreter of the law and adjudicator of disputes
Term
senatorial courtesy
Definition
the tradition that judicial nominations for federal district court appointments be cleared by the senior senator of the president's party from the relevant state
Term
standing
Definition
position from which one may assert or enforce legal rights and duties
Term
executive privilege
Definition
a presidential claim that certain communications with subordinates may be withheld from congress and the courts
Term
separate but equal doctrine
Definition
principle articulated in "Plessy v. Fergusen" (1896) that laws prescribing separate public facilities and services for nonwhite Americans are permissible if the facilites and services are equal to those provided for whites
Term
super precedent
Definition
landmark rulings that have been reaffirmed by the Court over the course of many years and whose reasoning has become part of the fabric of American law
Term
remedy
Definition
an action that court determines must be taken to rectify a wrong
Term
original intent
Definition
doctrine that the courts must interpret the constitution in ways consistent with the intentions of the framers rather than in light of contemporary conditions and needs
Term
strict construction
Definition
the doctrine that the provisions of the constitution have a clear meaning and that judges must stick closely to this meaning when rendering decisions
Term
test case
Definition
case brought to force on ruling on the constitutionality of some law or executive action
Term
class-action suit
Definition
a suit brought on behalf of a group of people who are in a situation similar to that of the plantiffs
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