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| the process in which the decision of numerical majority is made binding on a group |
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| the assembling of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal of interest |
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| the practice in which a legislator will give a colleague a vote on a particular bill in return for that colleague’s vote on another bill to be considered later |
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| debates that under senate rules can drag on, blocking final action on the bill under consideration and preventing other bills from being debated. |
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| amendments to a bill that are not central to its intent |
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| a group of legislators formally staked with considering and writing bills in a particular issue area |
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| geographical areas represented by members of a legislature |
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| : residents of a district |
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| the result when there is no consensus on policy change or spending amount but legislators find a central point on which a majority can agree |
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| when individual legislators act as the voices of their constituencies within the house or senate |
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| the work done by legislators to help those voting in their districts |
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| the work undertaken by legislators and their staffs in response to request for help from constituents |
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| the role the legislature takes in making sure that the implementation of laws by executive branch is being done properly |
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| all the members of a party--- Republican or Democrat--- within a legislative chamber. Also refers to meetings of members of a political party in a chamber |
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| legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior committee posts |
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| legislators who primarily see their role as voting according to their constituents’ beliefs as they understand them |
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| legislators who believe they were elected to exercise their own judgment and to approach issues accordingly |
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| : the process of providing legislators with the resources to make politics their main career, such as making their positions full-time or providing them with full-time staff |
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| the allotting of districts according to population shifts. The number of congressional districts a state has may be reapportioned every ten years |
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| : the drawing of new boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts, usually following a decennial census |
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| districts clearly drawn with the intent of pressing partisan advantage at the expense of other considerations |
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| situation in which the principle of equal representation is violated |
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| Majority-Minority Districts |
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| districts in which a minority group, such as African Americans or Hispanics, make up a majority of the population or electorate |
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| power to reject a proposed law |
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| a legislative vote of much more than a simple majority, for instance, two-thirds of a legislative chamber voting to override a governor’s veto |
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| the powers explicitly granted to a governor according to state law, such as vetoing legislation or appointing heads of agencies |
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| the things a governor is able to do, such as command media attention or persuade party members, based on personality or position, not on formal authority |
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| a governor’s ability to pick individuals to run state government, such as appointing cabinet secretaries |
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| a process by which the legislature can remove executive branch officials, such as the governor, or judges from offices for corruption or other reasons |
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| a special election allowing voters to remove an elected official from office before the end of his or her term |
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| rules or regulations with the force of law that governors can create directly under the statutory authority given them |
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| a judge who is said to act as an independent policymaker by creatively interpreting constitutions and statues |
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| cases that involve violations of the law |
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| cases that involve disputes between private parties |
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| the first level of the court system |
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| a mutual agreement between parties to end a case before going to trial |
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| an agreement in which the accused admits guilt, usually in exchange for a promise that a particular sentence will be imposed |
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| request to have a lower court’s decision in a case reviewed by a higher court |
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Term
| Intermediate Appellate Court |
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Definition
| a court that reviews court cases to find possible errors in their proceedings |
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| highest level of appeals court in a state |
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| in law, the use of the past to determine current interpretation and decision making |
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| the court in which a case is introduced and nothing has been determined yet |
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| trials in which no jury is present and a judge decides the facts |
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| General Jurisdiction Trial Courts |
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Definition
| courts that hear any civil or criminal cases that have not been assigned to a special court |
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| Special Jurisdiction Trial Courts |
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| also known as limited trial courts; courts that hear cases that are statutorily limited by either the degree of seriousness or the types of parties involved. |
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Term
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| an error that affects the outcome of a case |
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| Discretionary Jurisdiction |
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Definition
| power to decide whether or not to grant review of a case |
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Definition
| occurs when a court is required by law to hear every case presented before it. |
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| refers to appeals court sessions in which all of the judges hear a case together. |
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| groups of (usually) three judges who sit to hear cases in state courts of appeal |
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| judicial selection systems in which the governor appoints judges alone without a nominating commission |
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| judges run uncontested and voters are asked to vote “yes” if they wish to retain a judge in office for another term or “no” if they do not |
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| a government official who conducts criminal cases on behalf of the people |
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| : a government lawyer who provides free legal services to those accused of a crime who cannot afford to hire a lawyer |
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| Legislative Over-criminalization |
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| the tendency of government to make a crime out of anything the public does not like |
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| a group of between sixteen and twenty-three citizens that decides if a case should go to trial; if yes, an indictment is issued. |
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| occurs when a jury returns a verdict of “Not Guilty” even though jurists believe that the defendant is guilty; the jury cancels out a law that it believes is immoral or was wrongly applied to the defendant |
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| : a serious crime, such as murder or arson |
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| less serious crime such as shoplifting |
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| : private lawyers selected by the courts to handle particular cases and paid from public funds |
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| private attorneys who enter into agreements with a state, a county, or a judicial district to work on a fixed-fee basis per case or for a specific length of time |
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| a legal obligation or responsibility |
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Definition
| the interviewing and examination of potential jurors |
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| occurs when a lawyer asks the judge to excuse a potential juror because the individual appears to be biases or unable to be fair |
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Definition
| used by lawyers to dismiss potential jurors for any reason except race or gender |
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| : the judge sentences an offender to a minimum and a maximum time in prison; a parole board decides how long the offender will actually remain in prison |
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Definition
| the judge sentences an offender to serve a specific amount of time in prison depending on the crime |
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Term
| Mandatory Minimum Sentence |
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Definition
| the shortest sentences that offenders may receive upon conviction for certain offences; the court has no authority to impose a shorter sentence |
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Term
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Definition
| : these statues impose harsher sentences for offenders who previously have been sentenced for crimes |
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Term
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| these laws give parole boards less authority to shorten sentences for good behavior by specifying the proportion of a sentence an offender must serve before becoming eligible for parole |
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Term
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| a return to , or relapse into, criminal behavior |
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| Alternative Dispute Solution |
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Definition
| a way to end a disagreement by means other than litigation; it usually involves the appointment of a mediator to preside over a meeting between the parties |
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| : fast-track cases that often have limited, specific deadlines for specific court procedures |
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| local officials or attorneys granted limited judicial powers |
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| public agencies and the programs and services they implement and manage |
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| : employees of public agencies |
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| bureaucratic employees earn their jobs based on qualifications and merit |
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| the process of taking the expresses wishes of government and translating them into action |
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| : lower level public agency employees who actually take the actions that represent law or policy |
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| the process of translating laws into written instructions on what public agencies will or will not do |
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| : the right of an electoral winner to decide who works for public agencies |
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| the process of giving government jobs to partisan loyalists |
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Definition
| the idea that public agencies should be impartial implementers of democratic decisions |
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Definition
| systems in which employment and promotion in public agencies are based on qualifications and demonstrated ability , which blends very well with the organizational characteristics of bureaucracy |
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Definition
| : a process in which representatives of labor and management meet to negotiate pay and benefits, job responsibilities, and working conditions |
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Definition
| the length of time spent in a position |
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| policies designed to help recruit and promote disadvantaged groups |
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| Representative Bureaucracy |
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Definition
| the idea that public agencies reflecting the diversity of the communities they serve will be more effective |
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| the delivery of public services and programs via the Internet or other digital means |
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