Political Science Test 2

Front 1

case work

Back 1

legislative assistance on behalf of a constituent usually with bureaucracy

Front 2

reapportionment

Back 2

the reallocation of seats in a legislative assembly

Front 3

gerrymander

Back 3

creatively designing a legislative district to enhance the electoral fortunes of fortunes of the party in power

Front 4

quorum

Back 4

min. # of legislators who must be present to transact business

Front 5

lame duck

Back 5

an elected official who cannot serve beyond current office term

Front 6

war chest

Back 6

a stash of funds accumulated in advance of a campaign

Front 7

delegate

Back 7

legislator who is a conduit for constituency option

Front 8

trustee

Back 8

legislature who votes according to his or her conscience and best judgement

Front 9

politico

Back 9

a legislator who functions as either a delegate or a trustee, dependent on circumstances

Front 10

policy entrepreneur

Back 10

a person who bings new ideas to a policymaking body

Front 11

legislative veto

Back 11

an action whereby the legislature overturns a state agency's rules or regulations

Front 12

sunset laws

Back 12

statutes that set automatic expiration dates for specified agencies and other organizations

Front 13

pork barrel

Back 13

favoritism, be a governor or other, in distributing government monies or other resources to a particular program, jurisdiction, or individual

Front 14

formal powers

Back 14

powers of the governor derived from the state constitution or statute

Front 15

informal powers

Back 15

powers of the governor not derived from constitutional or statutory law

Front 16

plural executive

Back 16

a system in which more than one member of the executive branch is popularly elected on a statewide ballot

Front 17

patronage

Back 17

informal power of a governor to make appointments on the basis of party membership and to dispense contracts or other favors to political supporters

Front 18

package veto

Back 18

the governor's formal power to veto a bill in its entirety

Front 19

pocket veto

Back 19

the governor's power to withhold approval or dis of a bill afer the legislature has adjourned for the session, thus vetoing the measure

Front 20

executive amendment

Back 20

type of veto used by the governor to reject a bill and also to recommend changes that would cause the governor to reconsider the bill's approval

Front 21

executive order

Back 21

a rule, regulation, or policy issued unilaterally by the governor to affect executive branch operations

Front 22

bureaucracy

Back 22

the administrative branch of government, consisting of all executive offices and their workers

Front 23

incrementalism

Back 23

a decision-making approach in the budgetary process in which the previous year's expenditures are used

Front 24

line-item budget

Back 24

a budget that lists detailed expenditure items such as computers with no attention to the goals or objectives of spending

Front 25

performance budgeting

Back 25

budgeting that is organized to account for the outcomes of government programs

Front 26

capital budget

Back 26

a budget that plans large expenditures for long-term investments such as buildings and highways

Front 27

merit system

Back 27

the organization of government personnel providing for hiring and promotion on the basis of knowledge, skills, and abilities rather than patronage or other influences

Front 28

neutral competence

Back 28

the concept that public employees should perform their duties competently and without regard for political considerations

Front 29

affirmative action

Back 29

special efforts to recruit, hire, and promote members of disadvantaged groups to eliminate the effects of past discrimination

Front 30

collective bargaining

Back 30

a formal arrangement in which representatives of labor and management negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions

Front 31

bureaucratic discretion

Back 31

the ability of public employees to make decisions interpreting law and administrative regulations

Front 32

clientele group

Back 32

groups that benefit from a specific gov't program, such as contrctors and state dept. spending programs

Front 33

new public management

Back 33

an international movement to improve government efficiency and effectiveness through market-based solutions

Front 34

e-government

Back 34

use of information technology to simplify and improve interactions between governments and citizens, firms, and other entities

Front 35

civil case

Back 35

case that concerns a dispute involving individuals or org.'s

Front 36

criminal case

Back 36

case brought by the STATE against persons accused of violating state lawas

Front 37

administrative case

Back 37

a case which a gov't agency applies rules to settle a legal dispute

Front 38

common law

Back 38

unwritten law based on tradition, custom, or court decisions

Front 39

original jurisdiction

Back 39

the power of a court to review cases previously decided by a lower court

Front 40

appellate jurisdiction

Back 40

the power of a court to review cases previously decided by a lower court

Front 41

limited jurisdiction

Back 41

courts with original jurisdiction over specialized cases such as juvenile offenses and traffic violations

Front 42

major trial court

Back 42

court of general jurisdiction that handles major criminal and civil cases

Front 43

supreme court

Back 43

the highest state court, beyond which there is no appeal except in cases involving federal law

Front 44

intermediate appellate court

Back 44

a state appellate court that relieves the case burden on the supreme court by hearing certain types of appeals

Front 45

merit plan
(Missouri Plan)
3 steps

Back 45

1. judicial nominating commission meets and recommends 3 names of judges
2. governor appoints the preferred candidate to the vacant judgeship
3. retention election is held and new judge's name is placed before the voters on the nonpartisan ticket and decide whether or not the judge should stay in office

Front 46

bench trial

Back 46

a trial by a single judge, without a jury

Front 47

trial by jury

Back 47

a trial in which a jury decides the facts and makes a finding of guilty or not

Front 48

precedent

Back 48

the legal principle that previous court decisions should be applied to future decisions

Front 49

judicial federalism

Back 49

a trend in which state constitutional and statutory law are consulted and applied before fed. law

Front 50

judicial activism

Back 50

judges' making of public policy through decisions that overturn existing law or effectively make new laws