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| 3-tiered system of federal district courts, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court. Article III provides for the creation of these courts |
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| Various administrative courts and tribunals that Congress establishes, as Article I provides |
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| Supreme Court decision in 1803 that established the principle of judicial review |
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| Doctrine allowing Supreme Court to review and overturn decisions made by Congress and the president |
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| Vigorous use of judicial review to overturn laws and make public policy from the federal bench |
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| Supreme Court order for a lower court to send it the records of a case - 1st step in reviewing a lower court case |
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| Supreme Court rule that at least 4 justices must decide that a case merits review before it goes on the Court's schedule |
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| Doctrine that previous Supreme Court decisions should be allowed to stand |
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| Document announcing and usually explaining the Supreme Court's decision in a case |
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| Statement from one or more justices agreeing with a decision in a case but giving an alternative explanation for it |
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| Statement from one or more justices explaining why they disagree with a decision in a case |
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| Practice a president follows in choosing a nominee for a district or appeals court judgeship. President selects a nominee from a list supplied by the senior senator of the president's party from the state or region where the vacancy occurs |
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| System some states use to select judges, appointing them by requiring them to stand for periodic reelection. Also called merit system |
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| The system some states use to select judges, appointing them but requiring them to stand for periodic reelection |
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| Amount by which government spending exceeds government revenues in a single year |
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| Total amount of money the federal government owes to pay for accumulated deficits |
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| Federal budget in which spending and revenues are equal |
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| Amount by which government revenues exceed government spending in a single year |
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| Social Security Act of 1935 |
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| Act of Congress that created the Social Security tax (Federal Insurance Contribution Act - FICA) and Social Security programs |
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| Tax system in which those with high incomes pay a higher percentage of their income than those with low incomes |
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| Tax system in which those with high incomes pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than those with low incomes |
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| Programs, created by legislation, that require the government to pay a benefit directly to any individual who meets the eligibility requirements the law establishes |
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| Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) |
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| Increase in Social Security or other benefits designed to keep pace with inflation |
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| Nondiscretionary Spending |
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| Federal spending on programs such as Social Security that can't be controlled through the regular budget process |
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| Federal spending on programs that can be controlled through the regular budget process |
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| Legislation that appropriates government money for local projects of questionable value that may ingratiate a legislator with his or her constituents |
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| Government subsidies or tax breaks of questionable value to private corporations |
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| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) |
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| Agency in charge of assisting the president in reviewing and coordinating budget requests to Congress from federal agencies and departments. Formally the Bureau of Budget. |
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| Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 |
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| Act of Congress that created a new budget process and the Congressional Budget Office that curtailed the president's power to impound funds |
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| Congressional Budget Office |
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| Non[partisan congressional agency in charge of assisting Congress in reviewing and coordinating budget requests to Congress |
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| Temporary laws Congress passes to keep the government running when Congress misses the deadline for passing the budget |
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| Ability of an executive to delete or veto some provisions of a bill, while allowing the rest of the bill to become law |
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| Any income tax system in which taxable income is taxed at the same percentage rate regardless of taxpayer's income |
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| Quality of any tax reform plan that will neither increase nor decrease government revenue |
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