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55 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Marbury v. Madison
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Def: Landmark case, Supreme Court claims power of judicial reviewSig: Supreme Court can deem a decision unconstitutional or overturn it and ensures checks and balances within federal government
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Veto
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Def: Constitutional right of one branch to reject measures proposed by another branch and prevent or delay a bill’s enactment into lawSig: Keeps government from becoming too powerful in one branch (checks and balances)
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Stare decisis/precedent
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Def: Theory of decision-making in regard to Supreme Court being consistent with decisionsSig: Hard to follow stare decisis/precendent because times change. Overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson because separate is unequal, but this was a violation of stare decisis/precedent
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Descriptive representation
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Def: The degree to which congress looks like AmericaSig: Women are 50% of population, 50% of congress members should be female and the same goes for race/ethnicity.
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Formal representation
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Def: The degree to which congress is accountable to the elected Sig: 90% of members of congress are re-elected (gerrymandering and incumbency)
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Symbolic representation
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Def: The degree to which citizens feel that congress is representativeSig: 60% of Americans feel congress is dong a poor job
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Writ of certiorari
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Def: The order from a higher court directing a lower court to send the record in a given case for reviewSig: If a case is appealed to the Supreme Court due to a judicial error, a writ of certiorari is issued in order to review the lower court’s decision
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Executive order
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Def: A directive issued by the President that does not have to go through congressSig: Emancipation Proclamation was first Executive Order issued by Abraham Lincoln
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Filibuster
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Def: A form of obstruction in a legislature meant to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the proposal-taking place only in the senateSig: Classic case of decentralized power
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Judicial review
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Def: The power of the Supreme Court to review decisions made by branches of government and gives them authority over state laws and judicial decisions.Sig: Ensures checks and balances, protects citizens’ liberties
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Executive agreement
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Def: An agreement made between the executive branch and a foreign government without verification by the senate
Sig: GATT trade agreement |
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Pocket veto
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Def: President fails to sign a bill within 10 days but it does not pass because congress was not adjourned for the full 10 daysSig: Gives president power to kill a bill when congress is not adjourned, and some argue this gives president too much power
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Chief of State
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Def: Formal role of president in which he is symbolic and representative of the US and its national sovereignty Sig: Speechmaking and awarding medals
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Pocket pass
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Def: President fails to sign a bill within 10 days and it becomes a law if court was adjourned during the 10 daysSig: Allows a bill to pass without president’s signature, limits power of executive branch
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Strict Constructionist
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Def: The view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the constitutionSig: Freedom of speech only for political and responsible use (yelling “fire” in crowded place is not protected by freedom of speech in constitution)
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War Powers Act
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Def: Allows president to send troops to areas of imminent hostility on his own authority but has 60 days to get authorization from congress on whether to keep troops there or pull them outSig: Limits the power of the president in his role of Commander in chief
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National Security State
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Def: Threats from abroad are used to justify concentration of power in executive branch and the spending of money for national defenseSig: 9/11 and increased spending for national defense
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Spoils system
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Def: When an individual wins office, he or she gets to appoint friends to high positions
Sig: Eliminated by Civil Service reforms and only applies to top positionsPrecedent |
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Line item veto
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Def: Ability of chief executive to approve some provisions of a bill and disapprove others
Sig: Constitution does not give president power to carve up a bill; can only accept or reject the entire bill. |
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Executive Privilege
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Def: President asserts right to withhold information that Congress may want to obtain from the President and his principal advisersSig: Nixon argued his executive privilege when tape recordings between Nixon and his advisers were sought for the investigation of the Watergate scandal. This was not granted by the Supreme Court.
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Bi-Cameralism
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Def: The presence of 2 legislative or executive chambersSig: House of Representatives and Senate
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Power to persuade
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Def: Informal source of presidential powerSig: Obama is effective at using his power to persuade such as pushing the stimulus bill
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Divided government
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Def: One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of congressSig: Produces partisan bickering, political paralysis and party gridlock
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Seniority system
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Def: Tradition of granting privileges to those who have served the longest in the House and SenateSig: Influential committee positions granted to senate or house members solely or partly based on the basis of relative length of service
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Commander in Chief
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Def: Formal presidential role. Civilian commander of the armed forces with extraordinary powers in wartimeSig: Ability to declare war
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Pork barrel
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Def: Handing out government funds to people in your districtSig: Alaskan senator gives money to isolated Alaskan island to build a bridge. Helps members of congress get re-elected.
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Impeachment
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Def: Charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of RepresentativesSig: Impeachment of Clinton in 1998 for lying under oath
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Chief Legislator
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Def: Formal role that allows president to develop budget, draft most legislation, lobby congress, issue regulations and executive ordersSig: Obama signed the Stimulus bill
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Red tape
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Def: Bureaucratic restrictionsSig: If you want to build a house, must get permits
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Cloture
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Def: Requires 60 votes to end debate (30 additional hours allowed before vote)Sig: Only formal procedure that Senate rules provide for breaking a filibuster
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Redistricting
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Def: Every 10 years after census, district lines redrawn so they are each of the same sizeSig: Phoenix growing, New York shrinking; Add another district to Phoenix and take one away from NY to account for population changes
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Chief Diplomat
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Def: Sole power of president to negotiate treaties and appoint ambassadorsSig: Obama appointed Marcel Berlins as UK ambassador
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Gerrymandering
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Def: Electoral districts and constituency boundaries are deliberately modifiedSig: Increases incumbency because reduces the potential for competitive elections
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Chief Executive
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Def: Formal role of president that enables him to see that the laws are faithfully enforcedSig: Obama blocked AIG bonuses
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Senatorial courtesy
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Def: Custom in which the Senate will refuse to confirm any presidential appointments if objections are raised by the Senior senator of President’s party or senators of the state to which the appointment appliesSig: Senate rarely approves president’s appointments if nominee’s own senators disapprove
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Civil service system
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Def: Non-appointed members of federal bureaucracy have civil service protection after apprenticeship and it is hard for them to be fired
Sig: Cooks in state department |
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Original intent
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Def: View of strict constructionists that says decisions should be based on what the founders of the constitution intendedSig: Outdated because strict constructionists say that founders intended for free speech to only apply to political and responsible speech
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Standing committees
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Def: Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area
Sig: Only committee that can propose legislation by reporting a bill out to the full House or Senate |
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Iron triangles of influence
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Def: A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee and an interest group
Sig: Hard for president to crack into triangle and change established policies because of the tight networks and mutuality of interests between the iron triangles |
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Subcommittees
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Def: Subordinate committee composed of members appointed from main committee either always in existence or organized for a specific purpose
Sig: Armed services has 6 subcommittees |
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Appellate courts
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Def: Intermediate court between trial court and Supreme Court. Empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or lower jurisdiction
Sig: Protects liberties of citizens because have right to an appeal, and errors occur within trial courts (procedural error, outdate statute) |
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House Rules Committee
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Def: In charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor
Sig: One of the most powerful committees, “traffic cop” of congress |
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Conference committees
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Def: A joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the senate and the house on a particular bill
Sig: Help to pass major or controversial legislation by reconciling differences |
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Constituency service
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Def: Most members of congress on cutting red tape and doing favors for citizens. Primary way the members of congress represent the district they are from
Sig: Members of congress spend majority of time pleasing their district versus policy making |
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Franking privilege
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Def: Ability of members of congress to send FREE mail
Sig: One of the factors that makes incumbency a strong factor in elections |
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National Security Council (NSC)
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Def: White House office that coordinates international relations
Sig: Advises and assists president on national security and foreign policies |
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Cabinet
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Def: Composed of most senior appointed officers of the executive branch to advise and assist the president of his duties
Sig: George Washington’s Cabinet consisted of Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox and Randolph |
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Legislative veto
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Def: Refers to repeal by congress of federal agency or presidential actions
Sig: Short-lived function in US government |
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Lame duck
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Def: Any political office holder who is retiring, term limited or has lost an election
Sig: Bush became lame duck in 2004 election because it was his final term due to term limits |
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Senate Rule XXII
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Def: Allows members of senate the right to unlimited debate
Sig: Can talk a bill to death, reason legislation; hard to pass legislation but easy to kill it |
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Congressional Oversight
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Def: Oversight of executive branch by US Congress
Sig: Standing Committees review and monitor federal agencies and policy implementation. Part of checks and balances system |
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General Accounting Office (GAO)
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Def: Agency that exists to make certain that government money is being spent within legal regulations
Sig: Ensures accountability of the Federal Government |
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Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
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Def: Counterpart to OMB, which tries to check and balance the OMB. Group of economists that analyze president’s budget and focus on president’s assumptions
Sig: Clinton used OMB estimates, not CBO, and balanced budget effectively. President says inflation will be 1% next year but CBO says that is optimistic due to their estimates |
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Military Industrial Complex
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Def: Civilian National security bureaucracies, the military services and the defense industry with an enormous amount of political power
Sig: For past 60 years, this power has been used to bias public policy in favor of large levels of defense expenditures and an aggressive foreign policy |
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Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
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Def: One of informal powers of president. It develops ways of getting better information about government programs and reviews proposals that cabinet departments want included in president’s legislative program
Sig: Allows president to decide if he wants to share or hide this information |
