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132 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Divided Government
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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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Given annually in late Jan or early Feb; President outlines his legislative and foreign-policy priorities for the coming year
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Bully Pulpit
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Nature of presidential status as an ideal vehicle for persuading the public to support the president's policies.
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Veto power
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Gives presidents the capacity to prevent bills passed by Congress from becoming law.
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Override
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Congressional passage of a bill by a two-thirds vote despite President's veto.
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Pocket Veto
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Presidential veto after congressional adjournment, executed merely by not signing a bill into law
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Line item veto
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Authority to negate particular provisions of a law while letting the remainder stand.
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Appointment Power
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Enables presidents to appoint thousands of public officials to positions of high responsibilities within their administrations
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Administration
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President and his political appointees who are responsible for directing executive branch of gov't
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Cabinet
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Top administration officials, most whom are heads of departments in the executive branch
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Secretary
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Title of the head of a department within executive branch
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White House Office
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Political appointees who work directly for the president (many who have offices at White House)
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Executive Office of the President (EOP)
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Agency that houses both top coordinating offices and other operating agencies.
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Chief of Staff
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Head of the White House staff, who has continuous direct contact w/ president.
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Rahm Emanuel
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Barack Obama's chief of staff
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Power to Recommend
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Gives President the power of initiation- the power to set the political agenda
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Transition period
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75 days between Election Day and Jan 20, Inauguration Day.
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Honeymoon
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First several months of a presidency, when reporters are kinder than usual, Congress more inclined to be cooperative, and the public receptive to new approaches.
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Commander in Chief
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President- constitutional head of the U.S. armed forces.
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Efficient aspect of gov't
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Involves the making of policy, administration of laws, and the settling of political disputes. (nuts and bolts of policy making)
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Dignified Aspect
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According to Bagehot, aspect of gov't including royalty and ceremony that generates citizen respect and loyalty
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Inherent Executive Power
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Presidential authority inherent in the executive branch of gov't, though not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
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Executive Order
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A presidential directive that has the force of law, though it is not enacted by Congress.
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Executive Privilege
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Right of the president to deny Congress info it requests on the grounds that the activities of the executive branch must be kept confidential.
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Impeachment
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Recommendation by a majority of the House that a president, another official in the ex branch, or a judge of the fed courts be removed from office; removal depends on a 2/3 vote of the Senate
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Independent counsel
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Legal officer (originally special prosecutor) appointed by a court to investigate allegations of criminal activity on the part of high-ranking members of the ex branch.
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Beltway insiders
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Politically influential people who work inside the highway that surrounds Washington, DC.
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Presidential Popularity
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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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Opinion
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In legal parlance, a court's written explanation of its decision
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Plaintiff
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One who brings a complaint or suit against another
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defendant
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One accused of violating civil or criminal code
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Civil 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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Criminal Code
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Laws regulating reltaions between individuals and society. Alleged violators are prosecuted by the gov't
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District Attorney
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Person responsible for prosecuting criminal cases
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Judicial Review
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Power of the courts to declar null and void laws of Congress and of state legislatures that they find unconstitutional.
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Marbury v. Madison
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Supreme Court decision (1803) in which the court first exercised in power of judicial review
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Original-intent theory
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A theory of constitutional interpretation that determines the constitutionality of a law by ascertaining the intentions of those who wrote and ratified the Constitution.
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Plain-meaning-of-the-text theory
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According to this theory, constitutionality of a lw ought to be determined by what the words of the Constitution obviously seem to say.
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Living constitution theory
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Constitutional interpretation, which says that a law's constitutionality ought to be judged in context of the entire history of U.S. as a nation
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Missouri Compromise
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Dred Scott decision invalidated compromise, 1820 agreement that averted a sectional crisi by fixing a line south of which slaver would be permitted. Areas north of the line would be free
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Satutory interpretation
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application of the laws of Congress and of the states to particular cases
*notes say: Interpreting "gray" words |
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Federal district courts
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Lowest tier of fed court system and similar to trial courts that exist in each state.
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Circuit court of appeals
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Court to which decisions by fed district courts are appealed
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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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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Double Jeopardy
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Placing someone on trial for the same crime twice
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Borking
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Ploiticizing the nomination process through an organized public campaign that portrays the nominee as a dangerous extremist
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Stare Decisis
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In court rulings, refers to reliance on consistency with precedents
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Precedent
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Previous court decision ruling applicable to a particular case
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Legal distinction
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Legal difference between a case at hand a previous court decision
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Appeal
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Procedure whereby the losing side asks a higher court to overturn a lower-court decision
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Reversal
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The overturning of a lower-court decision by an appeals court of the Supreme court
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writ of certiorari
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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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Associate Justice
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One of the eight justices of the Supreme Court who are not the Chief of Justice
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Cheif Justice
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Head of Supreme Court
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Solicitor general
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Government official responsible for presenting before the courts the position of the presidential adminstration
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Law clerk
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Young, influential aide to a Supreme Court justice.
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Brief
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Written legal arguments presented to a court by lawyer on behalf of clients
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Plenary session
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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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Concurring opinion
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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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Dissenting opinion
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Written opinion presenting the reasoning of judges who vote against majority
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Remand
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To send a case to a lower court to determine the best way of implementing the higher courts' decision
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Judicial Activism
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Doctrine that says the principle of stare decisis should sometimes be sacrificed in order to adapt the constitution to changing conditions
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Judicial restraint
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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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Receiver
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Court official who has the authority to see that judicial orders are carried out
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Presidential primaries
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Elections held for the purpose of selecting or instructing national convention delegates
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Caucuses
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Meeting of candidate supporters who choose delegates to a state or national convention
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Superdelegates
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Certain party leaders-members of House and Senate governors, members of national committee, who become automatic or ex-officio delegates.
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3 ways delegates to contemporary national conventions are chosen
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Primaries, Caucuses, Superdelegates
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Matching funds
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Public moneys that the Federal Election Commission distribute to primary candidates according to primary candidates according to a pre-specified formula
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New regimes 5 major features
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Contribution limits, matching funds, spending limits, self-financing, disclosure requirements
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Political activists
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those who regularly participate in politics and are more interested in and committed to particular issues and candidates than are ordinary citizens, exert more influence on nomination contests than they can in general elections
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Soft money
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contributed by interest groups, labor unions, and individual donors that is not subject to federal regulation
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527's
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political organizations taht are formed primarily to influence elections and therefore are exempt from most fed taxes.
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Electoral votes
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Cast be electors, determines who will become the nations chief executive (1 for each member of house and senate)
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Popular vote
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total votes cast across the nation for a cadidate (does not necessarily become president
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Winner-take-all-voting
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Any voting precedure in which the candidate with the most votes gets all of the seats or delegates at stake
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Party Identification
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A person's subjective feeling of affiliation with a party
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Party image
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The associations voters make between the parties and particular issues and values
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Retrospective Voting
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Voting on the basis of the past performance of the incumbent administration
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Prospective Voting
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Voting on the basis of the candidates' policy promises
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Professional legislature
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Legislature whose members serve full-time and for long periods
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reapportionment
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The allocation of House seats to the states after each decennial census
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Redistricting
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Drawing new boundaries of congressional districts, usually after the decennial census
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Gerrymandering
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Drawing the boundary lines of congressional districts for partisan or other political advantage
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Filing Deadline
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The latest date on which a candidate who wishes to be on a primary ballot may file official documents with and/or pay required fees to state election officials
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Open seat
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A house or senate race with no incumbent (because of death or retirement)
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Safe seat
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A congressional district certain to vote for the candidate of one party
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Incumbency advantage
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Electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being and incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics.
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Frank
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Name for free use by senators and reps of U.S. mail for official business
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Casework
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Efforts by members of Congress to help ind. and groups when they have difficulties with federal agencies
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Constituency service
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Efforts by members of congress to secure fed funding for their districts and to help constituents when they have difficulties with fed agencies
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Coattails
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Positive electoral effect of a popular presidential candidate on congressional candidates of the president's party.
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Bloc voting
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Voting in which nearly all members of an ethnic or racial group vote for the same candidate/party
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majority-minority district
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District in which a minority group is the numerical majority of the population
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Affirmative action redistricting
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The process of drawing district lines to maximize number of majority-minority districts
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Fed paper 51
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James Madison- Checks/Balance system in gov't; "If men were angels gov't wouldn't be necessary"; To prevent person/group f/having all the power, must break into branches; Legislature is most powerful
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Fed paper 78
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Alexander Hamilton- Judiciary- Judicial branch consists of supreme court (highest); Constitution creates rules to protect congress; Judicial review when courts declare law invalid; laws can only be removed by impeachment or bad behavior; select judges by good behavior; not a threat to democracy; judicial review is not in constitution; Supreme law of land (if somethings not consistent it's not a law and therefore VOID); Justice (ex black/white marriage)-bigger then courts equality of basic rights
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Modern liberalism
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demands results ordinary people would not choose, liberals aren't what others would do.
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John Robers
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Chief Justice
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Trail of Tears
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Trip through Oklahoma
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Oaths Office
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All courts except supreme court can be appealed
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3 ways to settle dispute
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Dueling, mediation, arbitration
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Direct primary
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American invention- progressive reform; way for ordinary people to have a voice
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Progressive movement
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rest away political parties from the powers they have
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MN- CAUCUSES OR PRIMARIES?
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CAUCUSES
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Eisenhower
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1952 Republican nominee/general
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Harold Stassin
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Governor MN
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Freedmon v. Stevenson
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1956-Democratic party candidate didn't win
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1968
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Democratic National convention (chicago) very violent; Humphrey nominee, entered 0 primaries
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Single issue voters
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vote because of 1 issue
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Independents
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Neither democratic or republic
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Media area
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senators cover goals/aspirations, bigger than reps-more coverage
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Year republican last represented Duluth
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1947
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The class discussion of the Republican Primary victory of the Christine O'Donnell raised the point(s) that:
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Primaries are not the same as general elections, there is a rift in republican party, Karl Rove doubts she can win general election
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Federal Paper 17 identifies the folowing issues, difficulties, or conflicts that resulted in compromises in language or proposed constitution:
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Imprecision of language, division of power between states and newly proposed national government, no clear historical example to follow
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In class we discussed how we should consider getting info about our governemtn and political process. Material from which of the following was used as illustrations of process..
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President obama, walmart, fox news
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According to Fed paper 15, Alexander Hamilton wrote that governments are needed because:
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Passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint
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From the beginning, people at constitution conventions agreed:
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Meeting would be behind closed doors, not open to public; start with Virgina Plan; Write new Constitution even though job was only to propose amendments for articles of confederation
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Delegates of Contitutional Convention decided the question of who gets to vote in national elections by:
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Leting states decide who could vote in national elections providing that anyone permitted to vote for the lower chamber of state legislature must also be able to high
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Dual Sovereignty
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Was an American Invention
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Federalist Paper 45, Madison writes that the
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Powers proposed by national government not a threat to state soveignty even when you consider total impact of all at once; state governments will have advantage of proposed national government because national government depends on their states no depend on new national government
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Filibuster is:
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Tactic used by 1 or more senators to delay a bill or resolution from being considered by full senate
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Senate has the power to ___the president:
a. remove b. ignore c. impeach d. fire |
Remove
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Article 2 of confederation is source of presidents:
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Power to appoint abassadors
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Dual federalism, called "compound republic" in federalist paper 51 is cited for propositions that
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Compound republic, together with division of power @ both federal ad state levels creates "double security"
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According to film Justices O'connor Kennedy...comparison of removal of cherokee indians Georgia to integration of school in little Rock illustrates:
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Maturing of democracy over time
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Video "Told story of"
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Women drugged/gang raped, proposed ammendment that received 30 to no votes opposed to ammendment
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According to fed paper 78
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Federal judges hold offices during good behavior
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In federalist paper 78, Alexander Hamilton wrote:
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Judicial review even though this power isn't specifically granted to courts by Constitution
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Orginal intent thoeory of constitution interprets that stresses fed papers and notes from Constitituion convention:
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Theory by which Clarence Thomas would overturn Roe v. Wade
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U.S. circuits courts of appeals
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Were created by legislation from Congress
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Reapportionment has generally resulted in
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Shift of political power from Democratic to Republican party; shift of political power from NW and upper MW to southern and SW states
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