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| Fundamental governmental authority. Federalism is defined in terms of sovereignty. |
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| Division of sovereignty between at least two different levels of government |
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system under which all authority is held by a single, national government
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| Constitutional provision that says the laws of the national government “shall be the supreme Law of the Land” |
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court authority to declare laws null and void on the grounds that they violate the Constitution
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a theory of federalism saying that both the national and state governments have final authority over their own policy domains
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suppression of rights imposed by those voted into power by a majority
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a doctrine that says that states have the authority to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional
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decision of 1819 in which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the state’s power to tax a federal government entity
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Programs created by the Franklin Roosevelt administration that expanded the power of the federal government for the purpose of stimulating economic recovery and establishing a national safety net for those in need
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| Constitutional provision that gives Congress power to regulate commerce “among the states” |
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| Necessary and Proper clause |
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Constitutional clause that gives Congress the power to take all actions that are “necessary and proper” to the carrying out of its delegated powers. Also known as the elastic clause
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| the theory that all levels of government can work together to solve common problems. Also known as cooperative federalism |
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special legislative benefits targeted toward the constituents of particular members of Congress
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federal grants to a state and/or local government that impose programmatic restrictions on the use of funds
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intergovernmental grants with a broad set of objectives, a minimum of federal restrictions, and maximum discretion for local officials
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federal regulations that impose burdens on state and local governments without approaching enough money to cover costs
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return of governmental responsibilities to state and local governments
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| redrawing of electoral district lines to reflect population changes |
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| containing two chambers, as does a legislature such as the U.S. Congress |
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| the presiding officer of the House of Representatives; normally, the Speaker is the leader of the majority party |
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| title used for the Speaker's chief lieutanant in the House and for the most important officer in the Senate. Chosen by the majority party membership, majority leaders are responsible for the day-to-day work necessary to build political coalitions and enact laws: scheduling legislation, coordinating committee activity, and negotiating with the president, the Senate, and the minority party. |
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| Leader of the minority party who coordinates the minority's attempts to improve or knock down majority legislation. |
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| Members of Congress who serve as informational channels linking the leadership and the rank-and-file, communicating the leadership's views and intentions to the members and vice versa. |
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| Unanimous-consent agreement |
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| An agreement that sets forth the terms and consitions according to which the Senate will consider a bill; these agreements are individually negotiated by the leadership for each bill. |
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| Delaying tactic by which one or more senators refuse to allow a bill or resolution to be considered, either by speaking indefinitely or by offering dilatory motions and amendments. |
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| Motion to end debate in the Senate; requires 60 votes to pass. |
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| Temporary committee created to deal with a specific issue or problem. |
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| Practice in which the majority-party members with the longest continuous service on a committee becomes the chair. |
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| Representative or Senator who introduces a bill or resolution. |
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| Occur when party leaders give more than one committee responsibility for considering a bill. |
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| Process in which a committee or subcommitee considers and revises a bill that's been introduced. |
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| Fast-track procedure for considering bills and resolutions in the House; debate is limited to 40 minutes, no amendments are in order, and a 2/3 majority is required for passage. |
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| Specifies the terms and conditions under which a bill or resolution will be considered on the floor of the House - in particular, how long the debate will last, how much time will be allocated, and the number and type of amendments that will be in order. |
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| A group of representatives from both the House and the Senate who iron out the differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill or resolution. |
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| Process of providing funding for governmental activities and programs that have been authorized. |
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| Role a representative plays when acting in accordance with his or her own best judgment to decide what is best for the country. |
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| Role a representative plays when following the wishes of those who have elected him or her regardless of what he or she believes good public policy ought to be. |
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| In a budget, to designate funds for a specific use. |
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| The control of the presidency by one party and the control of one or both houses of Congress by the other. |
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| State of the Union Address |
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| Annual speech delivered by the president in late January or early February in fulfillment of the Constitutional obligation of reporting to Congress the state of the Union. |
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| The nature of presidential status as an ideal vehicle for persuading the public to support to president's policies |
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| gives presidents the capacity to prevent bills bssed by Congress from becoming law. It may be overridden by a 2/3 vote in each congressional chamber. Most state governors also have veto power over their legislatures. |
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| Congressional passage of a bill by 2/3 vote despite the president's veto. |
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| Presidential veto after congressional adjournment, executed merely by not signing a bill into law. |
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| Presidential authority to negate particular provisions of a law while letting the remainder stand; granted by Congress in 1996 but struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998. |
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| The president and his political appointees, who are responsible for directing the executive branch of government. |
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| Top administration officials, most of whom are heads of departments in the executive branch. |
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| The title of the head of a department within the executive branch. |
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| Political appointees who work directly for the president, many of whom occupy offices in the White House. |
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| Executive Office of the President |
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| Agency that houses both top coordinating offices and other operating agencies. |
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| Head of the White House staff who has continuous, direct contact with the president. |
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| The period after a presidential candidate has won the November election, but before the candidate assumes office as president on January 20. |
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| The first several months of a presidency, when reporters are more forgiving than usual, Congress is more inclined to be cooperative, and the public is more receptive to new approaches. |
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| The president in his Constitutional role as the head of the U.S. armed forces. |
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| According to Walter Bagehot, the aspect of government that involves making policy, administering the laws, and settling disputes. |
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| Traditional title of the president's wife. |
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| Presidential authority inherent in the executive branch of government not specially mentioned in the Constitution. |
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| A presidential directive that has the force of law, though it is not enacted by Congress. |
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| The right of the president to deny Congress information it requests on the grounds that the activities of the executive branch must be confidential. |
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| recommendation by a majority of the House of representatives that a president, another official in the executive branch, or a judge of the federal courts be removed from office. Removal depends on a 2/3 vote of the Senate. |
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| Legal officer (originally called special prosecutor) appointed by a court to investigate allegations of criminal activity on the part of high-ranking members of the executive branch. |
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| The politically influential people who work inside the highway that surrounds Washington, D.C. |
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| Evaluation of a president by voters, usually as measured by a survey question asking the adult population how well they think the president is doing the job. |
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| Hierarchal organization of officials with responsibility for specific tasks. |
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| The basic organization unit of federal government. Also known as office or bureau. |
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| Independent organization created by Congress to fulfill functions related to business. |
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| The power of a bureaucracy to interpret a legislative mandate. |
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| Jobs, contracts, or favors given by politicians to their friends and allies. |
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| A system of government in which workers are hired on the basis of party loyalty. |
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| A system in which government employees are chosen according to their education qualifications, performance on examinations, and work experiences. |
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| Organized in the 1880s, a group of civil-service reformers, including professors, journalists, clerics, and business leaders, who maintained that government officials should be chosen on a merit basis, not for their political connections. |
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| Legislation passed in 1883 creating the Civil Service Commission. |
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| A 1939 law prohibiting federal employers form engaging in political campaigning and solicitation. |
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| Political appointees who come in, go out, and come back in again with each change in administration. |
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| The four departments whose secretaries typically have the closes ties to the president: State, responsible for foreign policy; Defense, responsible for the military; Treasury, responsible for tax collections, payment, and debt service; and Justice, headed by the attorney general who is responsible for law enforcement. |
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| Newer departments that have less access to the president but have evolved in such a way as to provide interest-group access to the executive branch of government. |
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| Independent regulatory agencies |
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| Agencies with quasi-judicial responsibilities that are meant to be carried out in a manner free or presidential interference. |
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| Office of Management and Budget |
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| Agency responsible for developing the president's budget, setting personnel policy in the executive branch, and reviewing all proposed legislation sent by the executive branch to Congress to ensure it is consistent with the president's agenda. |
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| An agency's effort to avoid OMB controls by appealing to its allies in Congress. |
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| Congressional Budget Office (CBO) |
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| Congressional agency that evaluates the president's budget as well as the budgetary implications of all other legislation. |
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| An informal rule that the Senate will not confirm nominees for positions within a state unless they have the approval of the state's senior senator from the president's party. |
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| A presidential appointment made without Senate confirmation while the Senate is in recess. |
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| In an agency's budget, a specific congressional designation of the way money is to be spent. |
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| Close, stable connection among agencies, interest groups and congressional committees. |
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| A 1976 law requiring that federal government meetings be held in public. |
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| In legal parlance, a court's written explanation of its decision. |
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| One who brings a complaint or suit against another. |
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| One accused of violating the civic or criminal code. |
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| Laws that regulate the legal rights and obligations of citizens with regard to one another. Alleged violators are sued by presumed victims, who ask courts to award damages and otherwise offer relief for injuries they claim to have suffered. |
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| Laws regulating relations between individuals and society. |
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| Person responsible for prosecuting criminal cases. |
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| Power of the courts to declare null and void laws of Congress and of state legislatures that they find unconstitutional. |
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| Supreme Court decision (1803) in which the court first exercised the power of judicial review. |
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| A theory of constitutional interpretation that determines the constitutionality of a law by asserting the intentions of those who wrote and ratified the Constitution. |
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| Plain-meaning-of-the-text theory |
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| A theory of constitutional interpretation that determines the constitutionality of a law in light of what the words of the Constitution seem to say. |
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| Living-constitution theory |
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| A theory of constitutional interpretation that places the meaning of the Constitution in the context of the total history of the United States. |
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| The judicial act of interpreting and applying the laws of Congress and the states, rather than the Constitution, to particular cases. |
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| The lowest tier of the federal court system and similar to the trial courts that exist in each state. |
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| Court to which decisions by federal district courts are appealed. |
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| Person responsible for prosecuting violating of the federal criminal code. |
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| Decision (1819) in which the Supreme Court first used judicial review to declare a state law unconstitutional. |
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| Placing someone on trial for the same crime twice; is not allowed. |
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| Politicizing the nomination process through an organized public campaign that portrays the nominee as a dangerous extremist. |
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| In court rulings, it refers to reliance on consistency with precedents. |
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| Precious court decision or ruling applicable to a particular case. |
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| The legal difference between a case at hand and previous court decisions. |
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| The procedure whereby the losing side asks a higher court to overturn a lower-court decision. |
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| the overturning of a lower-court decision by an appeals court of the Supreme Court. |
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| A document issued by the Supreme Court indicating that the Court will review a decision made by a lower court. |
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| One of the eight judges of the Supreme Court who are not the Chief justice. |
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| Head of the Supreme Court. |
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| Government official responsible for presenting before the courts the position of the presidential administration. |
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| Young, influential aid to a Supreme Court Justice. |
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| Written legal arguments presented to a court by lawyers on behalf of clients. |
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| Activities of a court in which all judges participate in the case of the Supreme Court, the chief justice presides. |
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| Written opinion presenting the reasoning of judges who vote against the majority. |
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| A written opinion prepared by judges who vote with the majority but who wish either to disagree with some aspect of the majority opinion or to elaborate on the decision. |
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| To send a case to a lower court to determine the best way of implementing the higher court's decision. |
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| Doctrine that says that the principle of stare decisis should sometimes be sacrificed in order to adapt the Constitution to changing conditions. |
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| Doctrine that says courts should, if at all possible, rule narrowly and avoid overturning a prior court decision. |
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| Court official who has the authority to see that judicial orders are carried out. |
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