Ap Gov Semester Vocab

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Amicus Curiae Brief

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Friend of the court; interested groups may be invited to file legal briefs supporting or rejecting arguments of the case

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Amnesty

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a general pardon offered to a group of individuals for an offense against the government such as a draft evasion during the Vietnam War

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Anti-Federalists

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those persons who opposed the adoption of the federal Constitution in 1787-1788

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Articles of Confederation

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document by which the first U.S. government was established after the American Revolution; it delegated few important powers to the central government

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At-large

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the election of an officeholder by the voters of an entire government unit, such as a state or county, rather than by the voters of a subdivision, such as a district, of that unit

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Bicameral

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two-house legislative body

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Bill of attainder

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a law that established guilt and punished people without a trial

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Bill of Rights

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the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution

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Blanket primary

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nomination elections in which candidates for the same office are grouped without regard to party affiliation

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Block grant

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a larg grant of federal funds to a state or local government to be used for a particular area of public policy, such as education

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Categorical-formula grant

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the means by which federal funds are distributed to states on the basis of a state's wealth

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caucus

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a meeting of party leaders or like-minded individuals to select the candidates they will support in an election

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checks and balances

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the system of overlapping the powers of the three branches of government - executive, legislative, judicial - thereby permitting each branch to check the actions of the others

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civil law

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that body of law relating to disputes between two or more individuals or between individuals and government that is not covered by criminal law

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civil service system

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the principle and practice of government employment on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit

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closed primary

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a form of the direct primary in which only declared party members of a political party may vote

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coattail effect

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the effect that a popular candidate for a top office can hove on the voters' support for other candidates in his or her party on the same ballot

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concurrent powers

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the powers held by both federal and state governments

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connecticut compromise

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the agreement made during the Constitutional Convention that Congress should be composed of a Senate, in which the states would be represented equally, and a House, in which representation would be based upon a state's population

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conservative

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a person who believes that the role of government in society should be very limited and that individuals should be responsible for their own well being

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cooperative federalism

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cooperation among federal, state, and local governments; "marble cake" federalism

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dealignment

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when a significant number of voters choose to no longer support a particular political party

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Declaration of Independence

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drafted in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson declaring America's separation from Great Britain

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De facto segregation

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segregation that exists "in fact" not as a result of law or government actions

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deficit

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government spending exceeds revenue

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de jure segregation

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segregation that exists as a result of law or governmental action

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delegated powers

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the powers granted the national government by the Constitution

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devolution

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an effort to shift responsibility of domestic programs (welfare, health care, and job training) to the states in order to decrease the size and activities of the federal government; some states have attempted to shift responsibilities further to local governments

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direct primary

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an election in which party members select their party's candidate to run in the general election

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discharge petition

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a petition to put a bill back into consideration after it has been tabled by a legislative body

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divided government

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one party controls the executive, and the other party controls one or both houses of Congress

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division of powers

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the basic principle of federalism; the constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are distributed geographically (in the United States, between the federal and state governments)

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dual federalism

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federal and state governments each have defined responsibilites within their own sphere of influence; "layer cake" federalism

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elastic clause

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article 1, section 8 of the constitution, which gives congress the right to make all laws deemed "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers granted to the federal government

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electoral college

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the group of persons chosen in every state and the District of Columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and vice president

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elitist theory

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a small group of people identified by wealth or political power, who rule in their self-interest

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enabling act

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the first step toward admission as a state into the Union, the congressional act that allows a U.S. territory to prepare a constitution

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entitlement

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a required government expenditure, such as Social Security payments, that must be made to those who meet the eligibility requirements set for those payments

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enumerated powers

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those government powers listed in the Constitution; also called expressed powers; most relate to Article 1, section 8

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ex post facto law

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a criminal law applied retroactively to the disadvantage of the accused; prohibited by the Constitution

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expressed powers

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those powers that are directly stated in the Constitution; also called enumerated powers

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extradition

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the legal process by which a fugitive from justice in one state is returned (extradited) to the state in which the crime was committed

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federalism

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a system under which power is divided between a national government and state government

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federalists

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those persons who supported the adoption of the federal constitution in 1787-1788

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formal amendment

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a modification of the Constitution by one of the four methods set forth in the constitution