Final

Front 1

interest group

Back 1

an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy. Also called lobby

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lobbyist

Back 2

a representative of an interest group

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agenda building

Back 3

the process by which new issues are brought into the political limelight

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program monitoring

Back 4

keeping track of government programs; usually done by interests groups

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interest group entrepreneur

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an interest group organizer or leader

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free-order problem

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the situation in which people benefit from the activities of an organization but do not contribute to those activities

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trade association

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an organization that represents firms within a particular industry

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political action committee (PAC)

Back 8

an organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office

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direct lobbying

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attempts to influence a legislator's vote through personal contact with the legislator

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grassroots lobbying

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lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members

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information campaign

Back 11

an organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a groups views to public attention

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coalition building

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the banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying

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citizen group

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lobbying organization built around policy concerns unrelated to members' vocational interests

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reapportionment

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redistribution of representatives among the states, based on population change. The House is reapportioned after census

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impeachment

Back 15

the formal charging of a government official with "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"

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incumbent

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a current officeholder

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gerrymandering

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redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party

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casework

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solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies

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descriptive representation

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a belief that constituents are most effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, religion, or gender

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racial gerrymandering

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the drawing of legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win election

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veto

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the presidents disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote in each house

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standing committee

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a permenant congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area

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joint committee

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a committee made up of members of both the House and the Senate

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select committee

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a temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded after the purpose is fulfilled

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conference committee

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a temporary committee created to work out differences between the House and Senate version of a specific piece of legislation

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seniority

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years of consecutive service on a particular congressional committee

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oversight

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the process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as Congress intended

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Speaker of the House

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the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

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majority leader

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the head of the majority party in the Senate; the second-highest-ranking member of the majority party in the House

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filibuster

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a delaying tactic, used in the Senate, that involves speech making to prevent action on a piece of legislation

Front 31

cloture

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the mechanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the Senate

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constituents

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people who live and vote in a government officials district or state

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trustee

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a representative who is obligated to consider the views of constituents but is not obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided

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delegate

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a legislator whose primary responsibility is represent the majority views of his or her constituents, regardless of his or her own view

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parliamentary system

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a system of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party hold the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition

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earmarks

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federal funds appropriated by congress for use on local projects

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inherent powers

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authority claimed by the president that is not clearly specified in the Constitution. Typically, these powers are inferred from the constitution

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executive orders

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presidential directives that create or modify laws and public policies, without the direct approval of Congress

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delegation of powers

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the process by which Congress gives the executive branch the additional authority needed to address new problems

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Executive Office of the President

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the President's executive aides and their staffs; the extend White House executive establishment

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cabinet

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a group of presidential advisers; the heads of the executive departments and other key officials

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divided government

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the situation in which one party controles the White house and the other controls at least one house of Congress

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gridlock

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a situation in which government is incapable of acting on important issues

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electoral mandate

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an endorsement by voters. President's sometimes argue they have been given a mandate to carry out policy proposals

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legislative liaison staff

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those people who compose the communications link between the White House and Congress, advising the president or cabinet secretaries on the status of pending legislation

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judicial review

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the power to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Constitution

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criminal cases

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court cases involving a crime, or violation of public order

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civil cases

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court cases that involve a private dispute arising from such matters as accidents, contractual obligations, and divorce

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plea bargain

Back 49

a defendants admission of guilt in exchange for a less severe punishment

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common, or judge-made law

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legal precedents derived from previous judicial decisions

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U.S. district courts

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courts within the lowest tier of the three-tiered federal court system; courts where litigation begins

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U.S. courts of appeals

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courts within the second tier of the three-tiered federal court system; to which decisions of the district courts and federal agencies may be appealed for review

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precedent

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a judicial ruling that serves as the basis for the ruling in a subsequent case

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stare decisis

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literally, "let the decision stand"; decision making according to precedent

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original jurisdiction

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the authority of a court to hear a case before any other court does

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appellate jurisdiction

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the authority of a court to hear cases that have been tried, decided, or reexamined in other courts

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federal question

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an issue covered by the U.S Constitution, national laws, or U.S treaties

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docket

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a courts agenda

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rule of four

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an unwritten rule that requires at least four justices to agree that a case warrants consideration before it is reviewed by the U.S Supreme Court

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solicitor general

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the third highest official of the U.S Department of Justice, and the one who represents the national government before the Supreme Court

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amicus curiae brief

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a brief filed (with the permission of the court) by an individual or a group that is not a party to a legal action but has an interest in it

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judicial restraint

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a judicial philosophy whereby judges adhere closely to statutes and precedents in reaching their decisions

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judicial activism

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a judicial philosophy whereby judges interpret existing laws and precedents loosely and interject their own values in court decisions

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judgement

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the judicial decisions in a court case

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argument

Back 65

the heart of a judicial opinion; its logical content separated from facts, rhetoric, and procedure

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concurrence

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the agreement of a judge with the courts majority decision, for a reason other than the majority reason

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dissent

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the disagreement of a judge with a majority decision

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senatorial courtesy

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a norm under which a nomination must be acceptable to the home state senator from the presidents party

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class action

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a procedure by which similarly situated litigants may be heard in a single lawsuit

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civil liberties

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freedoms guaranteed to individuals

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civil rights

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powers or privileges guaranteed to individuals and protected from arbitrary removal at the hands of government or individuals

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establishment clause

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the first clause in the First Amendment, which forbids government establishment of religion

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free-exercise clause

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the second clause in the First Amendment, which prevents the government from interfering with the exercise of religion

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strict scrutiny

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a standard used by the Supreme Court in deciding whether a law or policy is to be adjudged constitutional.

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Passing Strict Scuriny

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To pass strict scrutiny, the law or policy must be justified by a "compelling governmental interest," must be narrowly tailored, and must be the least restrictive means for achieving that interest

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free-expression clause

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the press and speech clauses of the First Amendment

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prior restraint

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censorship before publication

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clear and present danger test

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a means by which the Supreme Court has distinguished between speech as the advocacy of ideas, which is protected by the First Amendment, and speech as incitement, which is not protected

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fighting words

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speech that is not protected by the First Amendment because it inflicts injury or tends to incite an immediate disturbance of the peace

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public figures

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people who assume roles of prominence in society or thrust themselves to the forefront of public controversy

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bill of attainder

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a law that pronounces an individual guilty of a crime without trial

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ex post facto laws

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laws that declare an action to be criminal after it has been performed

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obligation of contracts

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the obligation of the parties to a contract to carry out its terms

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Miranda Warnings

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statements concerning rights that police are required to make to a person before he or she is subjected to in-custody questioning

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exclusionary rule

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the judicial rule that states that evidence obtained in an illegal search and seizure cannot be used in trial

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good faith exception

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an exception to the Supreme Court exclusionary rule, holding that evidence seized on the basis of a mistakenly issued search warrant can be introduced at trial if the mistake was made in good faith, that is, is all the parties involved had reasons at the time to believe that the warrant was proper

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equality or opportunity

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the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life

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equality of outcome

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the concept that society must ensure that people are equal, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality is achieved

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invidious discrimination

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discrimination against persons or groups that works to their harm and is based on animosity

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civil rights

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powers or privileges guaranteed to individuals and protected from arbitrary removal at the hands of government or individuals

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black codes

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legislation enacted by former slave states to restrict the freedom of blacks

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racism

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a belief that human races have distinct characteristics such that one's own race is superior to,and has a right to rule, others

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poll tax

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a tax of $1 or $2 on every citizen who wished to vote, first instituted in Georgia in 1877. Although it was no burden on most white citizens, it effectively disenfranchised blacks

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racial segregation

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separation from society because of race

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separate-but-equal doctrine

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the concept that providing separate but equvalant facilities for black and whites satisfies the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

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desegregation

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the ending of authorized segregation, or separation by race

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de jure segregation

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government-imposed segregation

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de facto segregation

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segregation that is not the result of government influence

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civil rights movement

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the mass mobilization during the 1960's that sought to gain equality of rights and opportunities for blacks in the south and to lesser extent in the north, mainly through nonviolent, unconventional means of participation

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boycott

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a refusal to do business with a firm, individual, or nation as an expression of disapproval or as a means of coercion

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civil disobedience

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the willful but nonviolent breach of laws that are regarded as unjust

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set-aside

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a purchasing or contracting provision that reserves a certain percentage of funds for minority-owned contractors

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protectionism

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the notion that women must be protected from life's cruelties; until the 1970's the basis for laws affecting women's civil rights

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19th amendment

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the amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1920, that ensures women of the right to vote

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sexism

Back 105

invidious sex discrimination

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equal rights amendment (ERA)

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a failed constitutional amendment introduced by the National Women's Party in 1923, declaring that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the U.S or any State on account of sex"

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affirmation action

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any of a wide range of programs, from special recruitment efforts to numerical quotas, aimed at expanding opportunities for women and minority groups