Ap Us Government Terms

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Fiscal federalism

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a system of transfer payments or grants by which a federal government shares its revenues with lower levels of government

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New Federalism

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the recent trend in government of transferring certain powers from the federal government to the states

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Project grants

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government grants to fund research projects

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Amendment process

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an amendment can be proposed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or a convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures, and it can be approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures or ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states

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Anti-federalists

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led by Jefferson and later Madison, supported states’ rights and opposed the constitution in its final form, fearing it gave too much power to the federal government, risking possible future tyranny

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Categorical grants

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may be spent only for narrowly defined purposes, and often recipients must match a portion of the federal funds

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Cooperative federalism

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national, state, and local governments work together to solve common problems, e.g. during The New Deal and World War II

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Elastic Clause

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Article I of the Constitution, which assigns “necessary and proper” powers to the federal government with intentional ambiguity

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Full faith and credit clause

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states must respect the actions of the governments of other states

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Gibbons v. Ogden

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in 1824, Supreme Court ruling that stated that the federal government has the power to regulate interstate navigation – reinforced the Interstate Commerce Clause

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Marbury v. Madison

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confirmed the courts’ right to judicial review

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McCulloch v. Maryland

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confirmed that the Constitution grants the federal government implied powers, and that states cannot interfere with constitutional federal actions

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Public goods

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inexhaustible and non-exclusive – available to everyone

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Revenue sharing

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former policy of the federal government to share tax profits with state and local governments

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Tenth Amendment

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states that the federal government possesses only those powers given to it by the Constitution

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Mugwumps/progressives

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faction of the Republican party that emerged circa 1884 – opposed to the heavy emphasis on patronage; disliked the party machinery, because it encouraged only bland candidates; was fearful of the heavy influx of immigrants in cities and their easy manipulation by the machines; and wanted to see the party take unpopular stands on certain issues, like free trade – tried to play a balance of power role between the two parties

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Solidary incentives

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motivate people to join organizations just because they like discussing politics, attending meetings, and feeling they are part of an influential crowd – these people are neither corrupt nor inflexible, but rather lazy

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Soft money

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funds solicited from individuals, corporations, and unions that are spent on party activities, such as voter-registration campaigns and voting drives, rather than on behalf of a specific candidate – does not need to be reported to the Federal Election Commission

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Issue ads

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paid for with soft money, to indirectly support a candidate – simply claim to support an issue identified with the candidate

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Federal Election Campaign Act

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passed 1971 – mandates increased disclosure of campaign contributions – place legal limits on these contributions – created the Federal Election Commission

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Buckley v. Valeo

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campaign donations are protected by the right of free speech – still upheld federal campaign contributions and allowed candidates to give without limit to their own campaigns – 1976

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Electoral College

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delegates selected through state primaries and caucuses – also some superdelegates, party elites who do not need to commit to a candidate beforehand – 270 delegates needed to win the party’s nomination

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Media malaise

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dissatisfaction with democracy due to media attention to its flaws

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Twelfth Amendment

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changed the Electoral College so that it did not make the runner-up the Vice President, but rather the winning candidate’s preselected running mate

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Logrolling

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legislative quid pro quo – two members of Congress agreeing to support each other’s pork barrel legislation

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Congressional reassertion of power

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trend of Congress to take back some presidential authority in the wake of the Vietnam War, Watergate scandal, and President Nixon’s resignation

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War Powers Resolution

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aka War Powers Act of 1973 – stated that the President can send troops into action abroad only by authorization of Congress or if American troops are already under attack or serious threat

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Baker v. Carr

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retreated from the Court's political question doctrine, deciding that reapportionment issues (attempts to change the way voting districts are delineated) present justiciable questions, thus enabling federal courts to intervene in and to decide reapportionment cases

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Reynolds v. Sims

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ruled that state legislature districts must be roughly equal in population

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Wesberry v. Sanders

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1964 – Supreme Court ruled that congressional districts must be roughly equal in population

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Article III

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established the judicial branch of the federal government, setting up the federal court system

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Federalist No. 78

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Hamilton asserts that the judiciary branch would be the weakest of the three

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Federal court structure

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the Supreme Court is sovereign over two kinds of lower courts: constitutional courts, which receive constitutional protections and include 94 district courts and eleven courts of appeals, and legislative courts, which are set up by Congress for some specialized purpose and don’t receive constitutional protections

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Writ of certiorari

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issued by the Supreme Court when it decides to review a case

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Per curiam decision

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a ruling handed down by a court with multiple judges in which the decision was made by the court acting as a whole

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Stare decisis

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prior court decisions must be recognized as precedents

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Writ of mandamus

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issued by a superior court to compel a lower court or a government officer to perform mandatory or purely ministerial duties correctly

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Twenty-Second Amendment

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limits Presidents to two terms in office – ratified 1951

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Budget and Impoundment Control Act

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passed by Congress in 1974 – prohibits filibustering a budget reconciliation bill – permits the President to seek Congressional approval to rescind certain allotted funds, as a sort of fiscal line-item veto

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Twenty-Fifth Amendment

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established procedures for replacing the vice president or removing temporarily or permanently a physically incompetent president from office

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Office of Management and Budget

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Cabinet-level office – important conduit by which the White House oversees the activities of federal agencies – tasked with giving expert advice to senior White House officials on a range of topics relating to federal policy, management, legislative, regulatory, and budgetary issues

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Hatch Act

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1939 – prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity – precluded federal employees from membership in “any political organization which advocates the overthrow of our constitutional form of government”

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Pendleton Act

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1883 – established the United States Civil Service Commission, which placed most federal employees on the merit system and marked the end of the so-called "spoils system" – provided for some government jobs to be filled on the basis of competitive exams – drafted during the Chester A. Arthur administration, in response to President James Garfield's assassination by a disappointed office seeker – also prohibits soliciting campaign donations on federal government property