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| A congressional committee appointed for a limited time to design and report a specific piece of legislation |
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| The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents' problems with government agencies |
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| An order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment |
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| A provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the House |
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| A court case which ruled that districts must have equal populations |
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| A tactic use in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holing the floor, have unlimited time to speak |
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| a parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut of filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, 3/5 of the senators must vote for cloture to halt a filibuster |
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| A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular piece of legislation |
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| A permanent legislative committee specializing in a particular legislative area. Standing committees have stable memberships and stable jurisdiction |
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| A benefit that every eligible person has a legal right to receive and that cannot be taken away without a change in legislation of due process in court |
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| drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidates win |
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| A court case that ruled that gerrymandering would be unconstitutional if it were too strongly biased against a party’s candidates |
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| A court case which ruled that district lines may not dilute minority representation, but neither may they be drawn with race as the predominant consideration |
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| Permanent congressional committees made up of members of both the House and the Senate. Joint committees do not have any legislative authority, they monitor specific activities and compile reports |
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| The right and power to interpret and apply the law |
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| The result of legislative vote trading. For example, legislators representing urban districts may vote for an agricultural bill provided that legislators from rural districts vote or a mass transit bill |
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| The formal leader of the party controlling a minority of the seats in the House of Senate |
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| The formal leader of the party controlling a majority of the seats in the House or Senate. In the Senate, the majority leader is the head of the Majority party. In the House the majority leader ranks second in the party hierarchy behind the speaker |
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| The presiding officer of the House. The Speaker is elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote. As head of the majority party the Speaker has substantial control over the legislative agenda of the house |
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| legislation is divided into sections, with each part sent to the most relevant committee |
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| A method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of congress by failing to act on it within 10 days of Congress’s adjournment |
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| Political Action Committee |
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| A federally registered fund-raising group that pools money from individuals to give to political candidates and parties |
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| Legislation that provides members of Congress with federal projects and programs for their individual districts |
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| In the absence of the vice president, the formal presiding officer in the Senate. The honor is usually conferred on the senior member of the majority party, but the post is sometimes rotated among senators of the majority party |
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| Proportional Representation |
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| An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion the percentage of votes received |
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| Conditional Party Government |
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| The degree of authority delegated to and exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven ideological consensus among members |
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| A provision that governs consideration of a bill and that specifies and limits the kinds of amendments that may be made on the floor of the House of Representatives |
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| An amendment to a bill that is not germane to the legislation |
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| A provision that governs consideration of a bill by the House by specifying how the bill is to be debated and amended |
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| A petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor considerations. In the House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of the house members |
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| Select (special) Committee |
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| A temporary legislative committee created for a specific purpose and dissolved after its tasks are completed |
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| The congressional practice of appointing a committee or subcommittee chairs to the members of the majority with the most years of committee service |
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| The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices- for example voting for a republican for president and a democrat for senator |
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| Common metaphor for the capacity of a successful presidential candidate to generate votes for other candidates further down the ticket and pull fellow partisans into office |
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| Unanimous Consent Agreement |
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| A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to the bill on the floor |
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| A member of a legislative party who acts as the communicator between the party leadership and the rank and file. The whip polls members on their voting intentions, prepares bill summaries, and assist the leadership in various other tasks. |
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| Defines the executive branch |
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| The provision in article II, section 3, of the constitution instructing the president to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” |
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| A presidential directive to an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out |
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| an agreement between the president and one or more other countries. An executive agreement is similar to a treaty, but unlike a treaty, it does not require the approval of the senate |
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| A presidential message to Congress under the constitutional directive that he shall “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of he Union, and recommend to their considerations such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient” |
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| The formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of congress, can be overridden by two-thirds vote in both houses |
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| Law that requires to inform Congress within 48 hours of committing troops abroad in military action |
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| A procedure, available in 1997 for the first time, permitting a president to cancel amounts of new discretionary appropriations, as well as new items of direct spending and certain limited tax benefits unless Congress disapproves by law within a specified period of time. It was declared unconstitutional in 1998 |
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| The formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government. Cabinet members are chosen by the president and approved by the Senate |
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| The act of one person or body authorizing another person or body to perform an action on its behalf. For example. Congress often delegates authority to the president or administrative agencies to decide the details of policy |
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| an executive order prohibiting federal employees from communicating directly with congress |
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| A presidential directive requiring that all executive agency proposals, reports, and recommendations to Congress- mostly in the form of annual reports and testimony at authorization and appropriations hearings- be certified by the Office of Management and Budget as consistent with the president’s policy |
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| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) |
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| The most important agency in the Executive Office of the President. OMB advises the president on fiscal and economic policy, creates the annual federal budget, and monitors agency performance, among other duties |
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| A government publication listing all proposed federal regulations |
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| bill that has been passed by both the Senate and the House and has been sent to the president for approval |
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| Agency in the Executive office of the President that serves as the president’s personal staff system. Although the entire EOP does the president’s business, the White house staff consists of the president’s personal advisers, who oversee the political and policy interests of the administration |
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| The title that is given to the president by the Constitution and that denotes the president’s authority as the head of the national military |
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| A term used to describe the government when one political party controls the executive branch and one political party controls one or both houses of the legislature |
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| A collection of agencies that help the president oversee department and agency activities, formulate budgets and monitor spending, craft legislation, and lobby Congress. Includes the White House Office, OMB, NSC, and Council of economic advisors |
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| National Security Council |
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| The highest advisory body to the president on military and diplomatic issues. Established in 1947, this agency in the EOP helps the president coordinate the actions of government agencies, including the State and Defense Departments and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, into a single cohesive policy for dealing with other nations |
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| A legislative “traffic jam” often precipitated by divided government. Gridlock occurs when presidents confront opposition-controlled congresses with policy preferences and political stakes that are in direct competition with their own and those of their party. Neither side is willing to compromise, the government accomplishes little, and federal operations may even come to a halt |
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| “We Command.” A court-issued writ commanding a public official to carry out a specific act or duty |
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| The authority of a court to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid |
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| 2 questions: Did Congress have the authority to establish the bank? Did the Maryland law unconstitutionally interfere with congressional powers? Ruling: the Court held that Congress had the power to incorporate the bank and that Maryland could not tax instruments of the national government employed in the execution of constitutional powers. |
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| chief justice from 1801-1835, longest serving chief justice in Court’s history |
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| A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves (or their descendants, whether or not they were slaves) were not protected by the constitution and could never be U.S. citizens. The court also held that the U.S. Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories and that, because slaves were not citizens, they could not sue in court. |
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| Roosevelt's Court Packing Plan |
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| An attempt by FDR in 1937, to remodel the federal judiciary. Its purpose was to alleviate the overcrowding of federal court dockets by allowing the president to appoint and additional Supreme Court justice for every sitting justice over the age of seventy. This passed in the house but failed in the senate by one vote. If it would have passed FDR could have added 6 new justices, making the court majority sympathetic to his New Deal programs |
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| The trial courts of original jurisdiction in the federal judicial system. The 94 district courts are the third tier of the federal judicial system, below the Supreme Court and the courts of appeals |
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| The second tier of courts in the federal judiciary system. One court of appeals serves each of eleven regions, or circuits, plus one from Washington DC |
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| An order that is given by a superior court to an appellate court and that directs the lower court to send up a case the superior court has chosen to review. This is the central means by which the Supreme Court determines what cases it will hear |
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| The highest tier of courts in the federal judiciary system, often the site of highly controversial issues. |
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| The jurisdiction of courts that hears a case first, usually in a trial |
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| The power vested in an appellate court to review and/or revise the decision of a lower court |
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| “Friend of the Court.” A brief filed in a lawsuit by an individual or group that is not party to the lawsuit but that has an interest in the outcome |
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| The official responsible for representing the United States before the supreme court. The solicitor general is a ranking member of the US Department of Justice |
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| The head of the Justice Department. As the nation’s chief legal officer, the attorney general of the US represents the federal government’s interests in law courts throughout the nation. The attorney general is also the chief law enforcement officer |
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| “let the decision stand.” In court rulings, a reliance on precedents, or previous rulings, in formulating decisions in new cases |
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| The written opinion of one or more Supreme Court justices who disagree with the ruling of the courts majority. The opinion outlines the rationale for their disagreement |
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| A written opinion by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with the decision of the Court but disagrees with the rationale for reaching that decisions |
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| an informal practice in which senators are given veto power over federal judicial appointments in their home state |
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| The Senate confirms/denies justices nominated by the president |
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| Principle that guides judges on which party in a case should prevail- akin to policymaking |
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| Principle of law that governs how the lower courts do their work |
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| The right to bring legal action |
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| the trial courts of the federal court system |
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| the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system |
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