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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Gerrymandering |
Drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent |
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Government corporation |
Government agency that is designed like a business corporation |
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Hatch act |
Federal statue barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds |
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Impeachment |
Formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against public official. |
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Implied powers |
Powers inferred from the express powers that allow congress to carry out its functions |
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Incumbent |
Current holder of elected office |
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Independent regulatory commission |
Government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by congress |
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Iron triangle |
Policy-making instrument composed of a tightly related alliance of a congressional committee, interest groups, and a federal department or agency |
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Issue network |
Policy-making instrument composed of loosely related interest groups, congressional committee, presidential aides, and other parties |
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Joint committee |
Committee composed of members both the House of Representatives and the senate |
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Judicial activism |
Philosophy proposing that judges should freely strike down laws enacted by the democratically elected branches |
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Judicial restraint |
Philosophy proposing that judges should strike down the actions of the elected branches only if they clearly violate the constitution |
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Judicial review |
Power of a court to review laws |
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Liberal |
Belief that government can bring about justice and equality of opportunity |
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Line item veto |
Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package |
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Majority leader |
Legislative leader selected by the majority party |
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Merit system |
System of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage |
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Office of Management and budget |
Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies |
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Open rule |
Procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill |
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Original jurisdiction |
Authority of a court to hear a case |
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Party caucus |
Meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy |
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Plaintiff |
Party instigating a civil lawsuit |
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Plea bargain |
Agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty |
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Pocket veto |
Formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress after it adjourns |
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Precedent |
Decision made by higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or supreme court |
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President pro tempore |
Officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the Vice President |
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Prior restraint |
Censorship imposed before a speech is made or a newspaper is published |
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Reappointment |
Assigning by congress of congressional seats after each census |
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Recess appointment |
Presidential appointment made without senate confirmation during senate recess |
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Redistricting |
Redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population |
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Rider |
Provision attached to a bill |
