Exam 2 Gov

Front 1

Advice and Consent

Back 1

The power of the Senate to advise and approve the executive branch on nominations for executive and judicial posts and international treaties (require a 2/3 vote from Senate to approve any international treaty)

Front 2

Appropriations/Power of the Purse

Back 2

Congress’s ability to control the national budget and allocate funds from the Treasury. This power has largely been transferred to the executive branch.

Front 3

Bureaucracy

Back 3

the complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that are employed by all largescale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel

Front 4

Bipartisanship

Back 4

the theory that says both parties will find common ground through compromise. It also means to have the support of both political parties (i.e. for a policy or bill)

Front 5

Partisanship

Back 5

the theory that political parties will never compromise and will only stick to their ideals. It also means support from only one political party for a policy or bill.

Front 6

Cantwell v. Connecticut

Back 6

A case about 2 Jehovah’s Witnesses wandering around annoying people. The case brought into question if laws preventing people from spreading religious info were against Free Speech rights. The Supreme court ruled in favor of the Jehovah’s witness and said as long it doesn’t apply bodily harm they can tell people about their religion.

Front 7

City of Boerne v. Flores

Back 7

A church was trying to build on some land in Texas that was historically preserved land by the town. The town argued that the RFRA violated the 14th amendment and the court said they were right, saying that law was unconstitutional

Front 8

Caucus (political)

Back 8

a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or law makers to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

Front 9

Closed v. Open Rule

Back 9

closed rule is a provision by the House Rules Committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate while open rule allows addition of amendments to a bill while it is being debated

Front 10

Cloture

Back 10

a rule allowing a majority of 2/3 or 3/5 of the members of a legislative body to set a time limit on debate over a given bill. In the U.S. Senate, 60 senators (3/5) must agree in order to impose such a limit.

Front 11

Committee Chairs (role of)

Back 11

Committee chairs act as administrators and leaders in their respective committees. They facilitate discussion, prepare and distribute minutes of the meetings, and direct and lead the debate during meetings (ultimately having considerable power in committee resolutions)

Front 12

Compelling State Interest

Back 12

whenever a law affects a fundamental constitutional right, the government must provide evidence that their interest is more important/compelling (i.e. they could not prove compelling state interest in Roe v. Wade

Front 13

Conference Committee

Back 13

joint committees created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation

Front 14

Constituent Services

Back 14

The services/benefits a member of Congress provides to the residents of their service area (i.e. help with immigration, veterans benefits, ect.)

Front 15

Divided Government

Back 15

the condition in American government where the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls Congress

Front 16

Electoral Redistricting

Back 16

the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries in order to equalize populations (this is usually done every 10 years after the US releases census data)

Front 17

Employment Division, Dept of HR of Oregon et al v. Smith et al

Back 17

2 Native American dudes got fired for using a hallucinogen in their religious ceremonies and were denied unemployment benefits because the employer claimed that they were fired for misconduct. This brought to question; can you use illegal drugs for religious purposes and still collect state benefits? The Supreme Court said no, the law didn’t interfere with freedom of religion.

Front 18

Executive Agreement

Back 18

an agreement made between the president and another country that has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senate’s “advice and consent”

Front 19

Executive Order

Back 19

a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation

Front 20

Filibuster

Back 20

a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding he floor and speaking until the majority backs down. Once given the floor, the senators have unlimited speaking time and it requires a vote of 3/5 of the Senate to end a filibuster

Front 21

First Amendment

Back 21

the first amendment prohibits making any law that restricts freedom of religion, speech, press, and right to peaceful protest and to petition

Front 22

Free Exercise Clause

Back 22

the clause in the First Amendment that protects a citizen’s right to believe and practice whatever religion they choose

Front 23

Free Rider Problem

Back 23

the issue when those enjoy the benefits of collective good but did not ‘pay’ for them or participate in acquiring them. For example, a streetlight paid for by taxpayers can be ‘free riden’ by people who do not pay taxes but use the road

Front 24

Gangs of the Senate

Back 24

A bipartisan group (usually of 6 to 8 senators, 3 to 4 on each side) that focuses on a specific issue. There was one on healthcare in 2009 and National Debt in 2011.

Front 25

General Election

Back 25

a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select officeholders; in the Unitd States, general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even numbered years (every 4 for presidential elections)

Front 26

Gerrymandering

Back 26

the appointment of voters in districts in such a way that it gives an unfair advantage to one racial, ethnic group or political party

Front 27

Goldman v. Weinberger

Back 27

A Jewish Air Force officer was pissed that he could not where his yarmulke on service because of strict military dress regulations. The court originally ruled in the favor of the Air Force, saying the laws are stricter for military, but this would eventually be reversed, allowing members to wear ‘neat and conservative’ apparel

Front 28

Impeachment Process

Back 28

this is when the House formally states that a government official has committed “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors”. A simple majority is required to pass the impeachment resolution in the House and then it goes to Senate as a trial

Front 29

Incumbency Advantages

Back 29

incumbents have easier access to campaign finance, name recognition, can use some government resources, and their ability to determine the timing of elections. This gives them an extraordinarily high advantage over newcomers (80% of incumbents win on average in the House)

Front 30

Influences of Socioeconomic Status (SES) on Political Participation

Back 30

wealthier people are more likely to vote as they usually have more time and money to stay involved in politics, education has a huge impact on voter turnout (the more educated you are, the more likely you are to participate). Voting is also based on occupation, with an unemployed person being least likely to vote

Front 31

Interest Groups

Back 31

individuals who organize to influence the government’s image of an organization

Front 32

JOBS Act

Back 32

this is an act signed by Obama in 2012 which is meant to help small businesses and startups in the US receive funding, including support for equity crowdfunding through open platforms

Front 33

Judicial Review

Back 33

the power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional (i.e. in Marbury v. Madison)

Front 34

Legal Precedent

Back 34

when a legal case establishes a principle or rule that the court adopts when deciding later cases. This ensures stability, fairness, and efficiency of the law

Front 35

Lemon Test

Back 35

a rule from Lemon v. Kurtzman that government action towards religion is permissible if it is for a secular (nonreligious) purpose, does not promote nor inhibit the practice of religion, and does not lead to “excessive entanglement” with religion

Front 36

Lobbying

Back 36

a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature

Front 37

Majority/Minority District

Back 37

a gerrymandered (rigged) voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by drawing specific borders to make selected minority groups the majority within that district

Front 38

Marbury v. Madison

Back 38

a landmark case in 1801 that established the power of judicial review. Essentially some Federalist Marbury was pissed that he was appointed a government position but it was not finalized before the president left so the next president just ignored him. The result was he deserved the position and any law or ruling in conflict with the Constitution was null (aka judicial review).

Front 39

Messaging

Back 39

Couldn’t find a definition for this. My guess is the way in which political figures frame their actions and public facing content? May want to find a more concrete definition if you have one, if not this broad definition is good enough

Front 40

National Convention

Back 40

a national party political institution that nominates the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates, establishes the party rules, and writes and ratifies the party’s platform

Front 41

O’Lone v. Shabazz

Back 41

Basically a prisoner wanted to leave the church to attend religious ceremonies. The court ruled that keeping an inmate from attending a religious service for “legitimate penological interests” is not unconstitutional and does not violate the Free Exercise Clause

Front 42

Original Jurisdiction

Back 42

the authority of a court to initially consider a case

Front 43

Appellate Jurisdiction

Back 43

the authority of a court to hear appeals from a lower court’s case decision

Front 44

Party Identification

Back 44

an individual voters’ psychological ties (usually described by themself) to one party or another

Front 45

Party Leaders (role of)

Back 45

this is the most powerful position within a political party. This person is the figurehead of the party and their responsible for managing the relationship with the general public; communicating policy, election platforms, and interfacing with the media.

Front 46

Party Platform

Back 46

the values, actions, and policies which are supported by the political party. The party platform is public facing and is usually used to win over the public by promising many positives and taking stances on complicated issues

Front 47

Party Polarization

Back 47

the division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party’s position and little to no crossover

Front 48

Pocketbook Voting

Back 48

when people, rather than voting for the common good or the good of the overall country, vote for who/what directly benefits them, usually financially. Hence, they are voting with only their own pocketbook in mind.

Front 49

PAC

Back 49

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns. They must provide all donor and expenditure info to the FEC just as the candidates do.

Front 50

Political Participation (types of)

Back 50

political participation is simply actions of private citizens to influence or support government and or politics. Unconventional participation includes things like peaceful protest or direct political action. Conventional participation is the most traditional stuff like voting, filing suits, serving on jury duty, ect.

Front 51

Powers of Congress v. Supreme Court

Back 51

assuming this means the power of Congress to control the Supreme Court, congress can review judges and place them for impeachment, gets to advise on the choice of Supreme Court Justices and the president must get Congress’s consent.

Front 52

Pluralism

Back 52

the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the out of this competition is compromise and moderation

Front 53

Primary Elections

Back 53

the elections held to select a party’s candidate for the general election

Front 54

Prospective v. Retrospective Voting

Back 54

prospective voting is voting based on the future potential/performance of a candidate or political party while retrospective voting is casting your vote based on what they have done in the past

Front 55

RFRA

Back 55

Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993) basically protects religious freedom and says you must use strict scrutiny (aka demonstrate compelling state interest) when determining if the Free Exercise Clause has been violated by a law, even if the law is religiously neutral. It was deemed unconstitutional in City of Boerne v. Flores but is still used today

Front 56

RLPA/RLUIPA

Back 56

Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (2000), a law that says you cannot limit the ability of prisoners to worship as they please and gives churches and religious institutions a way to avoid zoning laws. Also extends the term “religious exercise” to include “any exercise of religion whether or not compelled by a central system or belief”

Front 57

Reynolds v. US

Back 57

This important Mormon dude wanted to have multiple wives as part of his Mormon beliefs and says that the fact that he legally can’t is violating his First Amendment rights. The court ruled against him saying that a statue can punish criminal activity (like having multiple bitches or sacrificing humans) regardless of the religion of the persecuted

Front 58

Selective Incentives

Back 58

private goods made available to people who contribute to a public good. This could mean rewarding participants or punishing nonparticipants. The goal here is to minimize or eliminate the free rider effect

Front 59

Seniority

Back 59

the ranking given to an individual on the basis of length of continuous service on a committee in Congress

Front 60

Standing to Sue

Back 60

the right of an individual or organization to initiate a court case, on the basis of their having a substantial stake in the outcome (i.e. being injured or having lost money unlawfully is standing to sue)

Front 61

Sherbert v. Verner

Back 61

This girl was part of a 7th Day Adventist Church which means she refused to work on Saturday and was fired without benefits as a result. She challenged saying she deserved her unemployment benefits, and the Supreme Court agreed. They said by denying her the benefits, it imposed a significant burden on her ability to exercise her religion and the state did not have compelling interest

Front 62

STOCK Act

Back 62

An act enacted in 2012 designed to stop insider trading, prohibiting the use of information not available to the public for private profit including insider trading by government employees. It restricts Congress and government officials from certain types of investing and requires full disclosure of financial information

Front 63

Special/Select Committees

Back 63

these are usually temporary legislative committees set up to highlight or investigate a particular issue or address an issue not within the jurisdiction of existing committees and report back to Congress. They usually resolve after their proposed resolutions/reports.

Front 64

Standing/Permanent Committees

Back 64

a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture

Front 65

Transactional Bipartisanship

Back 65

Couldn’t find a definition. My guess is that it is compromising on a vote or policy by one party (Reps) on the condition that the other party (Dems) will compromise on another vote or policy

Front 66

Two Party System

Back 66

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control (i.e. the US in most cases)

Front 67

United States v. Lee

Back 67

Some Amish dude was pissed because it was against his religion to pay Social Security taxes and he brought it to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that he has to pay his taxes because Social Security demonstrated a compelling state interest and thus this is an acceptable burden on religion. This established the precedent of limiting free exercise of religious conscience by employers

Front 68

Value Bipartisanship

Back 68

Couldn’t find a definition. My guess is that it is when the parties reach a compromise based on the values/merits of the bill (opposite of transactional)

Front 69

Veto

Back 69

the president’s constitutional power to turn down acts of Congress. A presidential veto may be overridden by a 2/3 vote of each house of Congress

Front 70

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Back 70

An Amish couple refused to send their children to attend public high school, violating a law that says kids in Wisconsin have to go to school until at least age 16, because of their religious beliefs. The court said that Wisconsin did not have compelling state interest forcing kids to go to school and therefore the parents had the right to keep them out

Front 71

Writ of Certiorari

Back 71

a decision of at least 4 of the 9 Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court (certiorari means to make more certain in Latin so just remember it that way)