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| Institutions that sit as neutral third parties to resolve conflicts according to the law. |
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| A legal system based on a detailed comprehensive legal code, usually created by the legislation. |
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| A legal system based on the accumulated rulings of judges over time, applied uniformly-- judge-made law. |
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| A previous decision or ruling that, in common law tradition, is binding on subsequent decisions. |
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| Trial procedures designed to resolve conflict through the clash of opposing sides, moderated by a neutral, passive judge who applies the law. |
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| Trial procedures designed to determine the truth through the intervention of an active judge who seeks evidence and questions witnesses. |
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| Laws whose content, or substance, define what we can or cannot do. |
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| Laws that establish how laws are applied and enforced-- how legal proceedings take place. |
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| Procedural laws that protect the rights of individuals who must deal with the legal system. |
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| Laws prohibiting behavior the government has determined to be harmful to society; violation of this law is called a crime. |
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| Laws regulating interactions between individuals; violation of this law is called a tort. |
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| Law stated in the Constitution or in the body of judicial decisions about the meaning of the Constitution handed down in the courts. |
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| Laws passed by a state or the federal legislature. Laws set in place by representatives of the people. |
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| Law established by the bureaucracy, on behalf of Congress. Regulations and rules for agencies such as food additives or clothing materials. |
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| Clarifications of congressional policy issued by the president and having hte full force of law. |
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| The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws. |
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| The landmark case that established the U.S. Supreme Court's power of judicial review. |
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| A court's authority to hear certain cases. |
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| The authority of a court to hear a case first. |
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| The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts. |
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| A rehearing of a case because the losing party in the original trial argues that a point of law was not applied properly. |
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| Tradition of granting senior senators of the president's party considerable power over federal judicial appointments in their home states. |
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| A judicial approach holding that the Constitution should be read literally, with the framers' intentions uppermost in mind. |
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| A judicial approach holding that the Constitution is a living document and that judges should interpret it according to changing times and values. |
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| Formal request by the U.S. Supreme Court to call up the lower court case it decides to hear on appeal. |
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| The unwritten requirement that four Supreme Court justices must agree to grant a case certiorari in order for the case to be heard. |
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| Justice Department officer who argues the government's case before the Supreme Court. |
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| "Friend of the court" documents filed by interested parties to encourage the court to grant or deny certiorari or to urge it to decide a case in a particular way. |
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| View that the courts should be lawmaking, policymaking bodies. |
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| View that the courts should reject any active lawmaking function and stick to judicial interpretations of the past. |
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| The written decision of the court that states the judgment of the majority. |
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| Documents written by justices expressing agreement with the majority ruling but describing different or additional reasons for the ruling. |
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| Documents written by justices expressing disagreement with the majority ruling. |
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| The stalemate taht occurs when political rivals, especially parties, refuse to budge from their positions to achieve a compromise in the public interest. |
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| A group of citizens united by ideology and seeking control of government in order to promote their ideas and policies. |
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| Loyalty to a political cause or party. |
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| The official structure that conducts the political business of parties. |
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| Members of the party who have been elected to serve in government. President, Speaker of the House, Governors, etc. |
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| Ordinary citizens who identify with the party. |
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| Voter affiliation with a political party. |
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| Members of a political party who consistently vote for that party's candidates. |
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| Party government when four conditions are met: clear choice of ideologies, candidates pledged to implement ideas, party held accountable by voters, and party control over members. |
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| List of policy positions a party endorses and pledges its elected officials to enact. |
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| The "party faithful"; the rank-and-file members who actually carry out the party's electioneering efforts. |
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| Mass-based party systems in which parties provided services and resources to voters in exchange for votes. |
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| Party Leaders, usually in an urban district, who exercised tight control over electioneering and patronage. |
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| System in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs of favors. |
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| Nomination of party candidates by registered party members rather than party bosses. |
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| Extended periods of relative political stability in which one party tends to control both the presidency and Congress. |
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| An election signaling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another. |
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| Substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and group, usually resulting in a change in policy direction. |
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| A trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than as members of a majority party. |
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| The process of getting a person elected to public office. |
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| Primary elections in which only registered party members may vote. |
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| Primary elections in which eligible voters do not need to be registered party members. |
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| Formal party gathering to choose candidates. |
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| Unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates. |
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| Activities directed toward controlling the distribution of political resources by providing executive and legislative leadership, enacting agendas, mobilizing support, and building coalitions. |
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| Ability of party leaders to bring party members in the legislature into the line with the party program. |
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| Citizens' feelings of effectiveness in political affairs. |
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| Legislation allowing citizens to register to vote at the same time they apply for a driver's license or other state benefit. |
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| A party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and persuade them to vote. |
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| Citizens' involvement in groups and their relationships to their communities and families. |
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| Basing voting decisions on well-informed opinions and considerations of the future consequences of a give vote. |
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| Basing voting decisions on reactions to past performance; approving the status quo or signaling a desire for change. |
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| Early attempts to raise money, line up campaign consultants, generate media attention, and get commitments for support even before candidates announce they are running. |
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| Local gathering of party members to choose convention delegates. |
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| An election by which voters choose convention delegates committed to voting for a certain candidate. |
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| Primary election in which eligible voters need not be registered party members. |
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| Primary election in which only registered party members may vote. |
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| The process of scheduling presidential primaries early in the primary season. |
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| The leading candidate and expected winner of a nomination or election. |
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| The widely held public perception that a candidate is gaining electoral strength. |
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| Investigation of an opponent's background for the purpose of exploiting weaknesses or undermining credibility. |
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| Issues on which most voters and candidates share the same position. |
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| Issues on which the parties differ in their perspectives and proposed solutions. |
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| A controversial issue that one party uses to split the voters in the other party. |
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| The tendency of one party to be seen as more competent in a specific policy area. |
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| Campaign advertising that emphasizes the negative characteristics of opponents rather than one's own strengths. |
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| Government Matching Funds |
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| Money given by the federal government to qualified presidential candidates in the primary and general election campaigns. |
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| Campaign funds donated directly to candidates; amounts are limited by federal election laws. |
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| Advertisements paid for by soft money, and thus not regulated, that promote certain issue positions but do not endorse specific candidates. |
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| Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) Drives |
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| Efforts by political parties, interest groups, and the candidates staff to maximize voter turnout among supporters. |
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| The perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner's proposed policies. |
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