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191 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Constituents
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Residents of a congressional district or state
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Reapportionment
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Congress' assigning of congressional seats after each census (10 years). Not to be confused with redistricting
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Redistricting
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Redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census (10 years). Done to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population size
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Gerrymandering
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Taking advantage of redistricting to draw district lines in such a way that benefits a party, group, or incumbent
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Safe seat
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Elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted
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Incumbent
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Current holder of elected office
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Bicameralism
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Two-house legislature
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Enumerated Powers
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Powers of Congress expressly given by Constitution
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Speaker
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Presiding officer in House. Formally elected by House as a whole, but for all intents and purposes chosen by majority party
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Party Caucus
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Meeting of party members in legislative chamber to select party leaders and develop party policy. For Republicans, its a Party Conference.
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Majority Leader
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Selected by majority party. Legislative leader who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, tries to keep party members in line
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Minority Leader
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Selected by minority party. Legislative leader who acts as spokesperson for the opposition
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Whip
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Party leader who "whips" party members into line behind an issue.
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Closed rule
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Bill can't be amended during allotted voting time.
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Open rule
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Bill CAN be amended during allotted voting time.
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President pro tempore
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Officer of Senate (selected by majority party) that acts as chair of Senate in absence of VP
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Hold
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Procedural practice in Senate where Senator blocks consideration of bill.
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Filibuster
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Procedural practice in Senate where Senator just won't shut up, thereby delaying proceedings and effectively preventing a vote on a controversial issue
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Cloture
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Procedure for terminating debate in Senate (used to stop filibusters).
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Senatorial courtesy
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Presidential custom of submitting for approval the names of prospective appointees to senators from the states where the appointees would work.
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Standing committee
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Permanent committee established in legislature, usually focused on a broad area of policy.
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Special (Select) committee
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Congressional committee created for specific purpose (i.e. conducting an investigation)
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Joint committee
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Committee with members from House and Senate. Oversee Library of Congress and conduct investigations.
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Earmark
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Vehicle for pork barrel legislation. Amendment to bill that provides for special spending in a single district. Intended to hitchhike on bill's passage.
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Seniority rule
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Legislative practice that assigns the chair position of committee or sub-committee to majority party member with longest continuous service on the given committee (longest-serving, not the oldest).
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Conference committee
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Appointed by presiding officers of House and Senate to adjust differences on a bill that was passed by each house in different forms
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Delegate
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Official who is expected to represent the views of his district even if his own views are different. One interpretation of the role of legislator.
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Trustee
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Official who is expected to vote independently based on his own judgement. One interpretation of the role of legislator.
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Logrolling
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Congressmen coming together to trade support for pork barrel legislation.
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Attentive Public
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Members of public who follow public affairs closely.
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Discharge petition
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If signed by majority of House of Representatives, a bill can be pried out of committee to be considered on the floor.
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Rider
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Provision attached to a bill, relevant or not, designed to secure its passage or defeat.
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Pocket Veto
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Assuming Congress is not in session, President can ignore a bill for 10 days, after which it dies (NOT returned to Congress for possible override).
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Override
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Congressional overriding of a presidential veto (direct veto, not pocket veto) to pass a bill into law. Requires two-thirds vote in both houses.
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Parliamentary System
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System of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.
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Presidential Ticket
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Joint listing of presidential and vice presidential candidates on same ballot (required by 12th Amendment).
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Treaty
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Formal, public agreement between United States and one or more other nations. Must be approved by two thirds of Senate.
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Executive Agreement
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Formal agreement between the President and leaders of other nations. Does NOT require Senate approval.
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Congressional-executive Agreement
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Formal agreement between the President and leaders of other nations that acquires approval of both houses of Congress (doesn't require it, but gets it anyway).
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Veto
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Formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress.
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Take care clause (Art. 2, Sec. 3)
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Constitutional Requirement that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they personally disagree with them.
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Inherent powers
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Powers that are understood to belong to a government simply by virtue of its being a government.
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State of the Union Address
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The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation.
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Impeachment
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Formal ACCUSATION against a president or other public official. First step in removing them from office.
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Executive Privilege
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President's right to keep executive communications confidential, especially in matters of national security (does not extend to criminal investigations, as of Nixon Tapes subpoena and subsequent SC ruling)
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Executive orders
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Formal orders issued by the president to direct the federal bureaucracy.
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Impoundment
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Presidential decision NOT to spend money appropriated by Congress. Prohibited under federal law.
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Line item veto
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Presidential power to veto only specific parts of a spending bill without vetoing the whole thing. Declared unconstitutional by SC.
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Chief of Staff
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Head of the White House staff.
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Executive Office of the President
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Cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities (i.e. Office of Management and Budget, Council of Economic Advisors, etc.)
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Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
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Presidential staff agency that serves as clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.
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Cabinet
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Advisory council for the president consisting of: the heads of the executive departments, the VP, and a few other officials selected by the president
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Rally point
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Rising public approval for the president. Follows a crisis, as Americans rally behind their President (i.e. 9/11)
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Mandate
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President's claim of broad public support
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Cycle of decreasing influence
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Tendency of presidents to lose support over time.
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Cycle of increasing effectiveness
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Tendency of presidents to learn more about their doing their jobs over time (learning on the job).
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Party Paper
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Newspaper sponsored and run by a political party for political ads, etc.
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Gazette of the United States
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Federalist party paper. Editor: John Fenno
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National Gazette
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Democratic Republican party paper. Editor: Phillip Freneau
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Gatekeeper
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One role of the national press. What the press focuses on is what the public sees, and thus what politicians attend to first (press has power over what makes it through the gate to become a national political issue)
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Scorekeeper
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One role of the national press. By reporting that one candidate is "winning," they can grant that candidate (inadvertently or not) a significant advantage.
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Watchdog
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One role of the press. Makes sure politicians are doing their jobs, as well as maintaining decent morals (will report them to hell and back if they don't).
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Fourth Estate
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The press' role as the unofficial fourth branch of government. With its role as watchdog, keeping the other three branches in line, it is very hard for a public official to sue for libel, etc. because the fourth estate is seen as necessary.
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Trial balloon
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Testing public reaction to a possible policy by leaking information about it to the media.
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Routine stories
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Stories that cover major political events. Most major media outputs will cover them regularly.
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Feature stories
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Public stories, but the reporter must seek them out because they're not routinely covered.
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Insider stories
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Stories on things that are often secret. Can be uncovered either through investigative reporting work or a leak (intentional or otherwise).
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Loaded Language
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Phrasing a statement in such a way as to imply a judgement of value without outright saying your opinion. Used as a subtle influence tool.
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Selective attention
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The tendency of people to pay attention only to those stories with which they agree.
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Separate-but-Equal
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Doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson. Stated that blacks COULD constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities
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De jure segregation
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Racial segregation required by law.
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De facto segregation
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Racial segregation that arises from non-legal sources (often housing, blockbusting type stuff)
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Civil disobedience
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Opposing a law considered unjust by peacefully disobeying and accepting the resulting punishment.
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Affirmative Action
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Programs designed to increase minority participation in certain institutions (i.e. colleges, labor unions, government agencies) by taking active steps to hire more of those minorities.
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Reverse discrimination
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Using race or sex as justification for preferential treatment (provided the race or sex has been historically discriminated AGAINST)
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Reagents of the University of California v. Bakke
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1978, Affirmative Action--ruled that Affirmative Action was still constitutional, just not the way California did it (quotas). Instead, must be done with Harvard System.
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Harvard System
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Race, other suspect classifications must be taken into account when admitting students, on the same level as other criteria.
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Lawrence v. Texas
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2003, Gay Rights--state law may NOT ban sexual relations between same-sex partners
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Boy Scouts of America v. Dale
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2000, Gay Rights--private organizations MAY ban gays from joining
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Undisciplined party
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Party does NOT have the power to remove from office those members that have already been elected. Therefore, those members are more likely to respond to the demands of their constituents than those of the party. Party leaders must deal and negotiate with elected members to get them to do what they want.
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Faction
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Differs from a political party in that it arises only to deal with a specific set of issues. When those issues are resolved, the faction dissolves.
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Cadre party
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Practical party seeking to win election, use power to further interests of supporters
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Mass party
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Does not tolerate political opposition. Demands active support from entire society. Often totalitarian, etc.
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Ideological party
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More interested in changing political ideas than winning election. Setting up for future elections.
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Socialist party
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Led by Eugene V. Debs, who became convinced that US must switch to socialism after his arrest at the Pullman Strike. Took part in four-way 1912 election.
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New Deal Coalition
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GAVE DEMOCRATS MAJORITY UNTIL 1968: Organized labor, Catholics and Jews, Solid South (old Confederacy, hated Rep's), liberals (supported regulation), urban poor, rural poor, academics and intellectuals (for their roles as speakers, leadership, etc.)
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Realignment
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Shifting of a group's support/voting patterns from one party to another. Often occurs during a crisis, when new issues come up and the group agrees with the other party's answer more.
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Tertium Quiz
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Faction of old Republicans angry at Jefferson for changing views upon gaining office
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Dixie-crats
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Faction from old Confederate states. Racist, segregationists, etc. Traditionally voted Democrat, but moved to Republicans as Democrats embraced Civil Rights (realignment completed in 1980, Reagan)
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Party identification factors
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family's party, spouse's party, opinion leaders, education (generally, Republicans are more educated than Democrats), occupation, perceived interests
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What are two goals of gerrymandering?
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Make a district seat safe for a party. Take a safe seat away from the other party.
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What are two limits the SC has placed on gerrymandering?
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No fragmenting (disempowers cities, urban areas). No gerrymandering by race or wealth.
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House Unamerican Activity Committee (HUAC)
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Committee in 1950's that made accusations of communism, investigated left-wing thinkers, generally persecuted them. Helped push Richard Nixon to national importance.
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House Black Caucus
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Caucus of black members of the House
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House Women's Caucus
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Caucus of women members of the House
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Mandatory spending
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Spending on certain programs that is required by law
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Party polarization
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When parties become more extreme in their stances. Makes it difficult for the President to govern from the center
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Lame-duck period
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Period of decreased influence and power for a President (or other official) that stems from them being about to leave office
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Which Enlightenment philosopher's inspired the framers of the Constitution?
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Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau
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Thomas Hobbes
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Author of Leviathan. Believed humans inherently evil. Argued that best way to protect humans from themselves was absolute monarchy
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John Locke
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Author of Second Treatise on Civil Government. Believed humans inherently good. Argued that life, liberty, and property were God-given rights, and a people had a right to rebel if their government did not protect these rights.
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Charles de Montesquieu
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Author of The Spirit of the Laws, which advocated the separation of powers between three branches of government.
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Jean Jacques Rousseau
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Believed in "social contract," that the only good government is one formed with the consent of the governed.
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Articles of Confederation
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Predecessor to the Constitution. Lasted from 1774-1787 (ratified 1781)
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Successes of Articles of Confederation
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Won the Revolutionary War. Established the Northwest Ordinance (how new states could enter the union). Negotiated the treaty that ended the War. Set the precedent of federalism.
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Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation
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No draft. No taxing power (could only ask state legislatures for revenue). Could not pay off war debt. No interstate trade regulation. No Supreme Court to interpret law. No executive branch. No national currency. Amendments had to be unanimous. All legislation needed 9 of 13 states' approval.
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Constitutional Convention
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Philadelphia, 1787. Originally intended to revise Articles. Came out with brand new Constitution instead.
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Shay's Rebellion
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Armed farmers attacked federal arsenal to protest foreclosure of farms. Sparked the Constitutional Convention.
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Supremacy Clause
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Federal law trumps state law. Art. 6
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Writ of Habeas Corpus
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No indefinite incarceration without trial. Government may not suspend.
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Ex Post Facto laws
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Retroactive laws. Laws that make past actions illegal. Government may not pass.
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Privilege and Immunities Clause
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States must offer same protection of laws to citizens of different states as they do to their own citizens.
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Full Faith and Credit Clause
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States must respect licenses, court judgements, documents of other states.
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Extradition
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Returning a fugitive to the state from which he has fled.
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Dual Federalism
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Federalism system under which state and central governments remain largely independent of one another.
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Bill of Attainder
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Declares individual guilty of capital offense without trial. Violates due process, so government may not issue.
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States' Rightists
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Those who believe federalism means state's retain most of the political power.
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Nationalists
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Those who believe federalism means the central government is supreme.
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Categorical Grants
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Federal grants to state administrative programs with strict rules on how the money is to be spent.
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Block Grants
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Federal grants to states that the states can experiment with and spend as they see fit.
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Advantages of Federalism
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Mass participation; Regional autonomy; Government at many levels; innovative methods (states can be testing grounds for nation policy)
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Disadvantages of Federalism
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Lack of consistency; Inefficiency; Bureaucracy
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Separation of Powers
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Form of countervailing powers. Powers of government divided between three branches, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
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Checks and Balances
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Form of countervailing powers. Requires branches of government to share powers and cooperate in order to accomplish anything (all important actions require participation from at least two branches)
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Ratifying Convention
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Method for state ratification of proposed amendments. Mandated by Congress, the state's send delegates specifically elected to vote on the amendment. Used for 21.
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Griswold v. Connecticut
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1965, SC ruled that Constitution implied a right to privacy
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Fifth Amendment
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Indictment by grand jury; no double jeopardy; no forced self-incrimination; eminent domain; may not deprive citizens of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
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Sixth Amendment
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Right to public and speedy trial.
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Eighth Amendment
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No excessive bail; no cruel and unusual punishment
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Ninth Amendment
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Bill of Rights shall not be construed to deny to citizens rights it did not expressly grant them.
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First Amendment
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Free speech and press; free religion; free assembly and petition
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Second Amendment
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Right to bear arms
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Third Amendment
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No forced quartering of soldiers except in wartime, when it will be defined by law.
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Fourth Amendment
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No unreasonable searches or seizures. Used in Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
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Seventh Amendment
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Trial by jury in common-law cases.
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Tenth Amendment
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All rights not specifically delegated to central government or prohibited to states are reserved for states and people, respectively.
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Thirteenth Amendment
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Outlawed slavery
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Fourteenth Amendment
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States can't make discriminatory laws.
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Fifteenth Amendment
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Voting rights for blacks.
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Sixteenth Amendment
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1913; Allowed for federal income tax
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Eighteenth Amendment
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1920; Prohibition (manufacture, sale, and transportation in or out of country)
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Seventeenth Amendment
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1913; Direct election of senators
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Nineteenth Amendment
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1920; Voting rights for women
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Twentieth Amendment
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1933; President and VP terms end at noon on January 20; Senator and Representative terms end at noon on January 3
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Twenty-first Amendment
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1933; repealed Prohibition
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Twenty-second Amendment
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1951; two-term Presidential limit
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Twenty-third Amendment
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1961; allowed DC residents to vote in presidential elections; raises total electoral votes to 538
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Twenty-fourth Amendment
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1964; eliminated poll taxes
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Twenty-fifth Amendment
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1967; clarified finding new VP if the position became vacant; VP may formally become president temporarily if current president is incapacitated
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Twenty-sixth Amendment
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1971; Voting age lowered to 18 (from 21)
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Twenty-seventh Amendment
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1992; Congressional pay raises do not take effect until after the next election (proposed over 200 years ago)
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Saliency
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How important the issue is to a particular group or interest
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Intensity
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How strongly do people feel about the issue? If very strongly, they can wield much greater political influence
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Stability
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How likely are people to change their minds on the issue?
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Exit polling
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Randomly polling voters as they leave the voting place.
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Post-convention bump
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Rise in candidate's public approval following his party's national convention
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Pendleton Act
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1833; eliminated spoils system, set up exam-based merit system
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act
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1896; gives Congress authority to regulate and break up monopolies (trusts)
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Hatch Act
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1939; Permitted government officials to vote in elections, but forbade them from engaging in partisan politics
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Air Quality Act
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1967; first in a series of acts to regulate environmental impacts
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Federal Election Campaign Acts
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1971-1974; series of laws that created the Federal Election Commission (FEC); placed limits on and required disclosure of campaign donations
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Northwest Ordinance
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1789; one of few successes of Articles of Confederation; gave clear guidelines for settlement of new territory and how territory could achieve statehood
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War Powers Act
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1973; limited amount of troops President could deploy without Congressional approval, put time limit on use (Congress had to approve before time limit was up); still stands, but considered by some to be an unconstitutional "legislative veto"
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Budget and Impoundment Control Act
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1974; established Congressional budget committees and the Congressional Budget Office; gave Congress the power to prevent the president from refusing to fund Congressional initiatives (impoundment)
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Freedom of Information Act
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1974; declassified government documents for public use
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Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Bill
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1985; set budget reduction targets to balance budget; failed to cover loopholes
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Espionage Act and Sedition Act
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1917 and 1918, respectively; greatly restricted civil liberties of Americans during wartime; also greatly increased the power of federal government to control public activity
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Immigration Act
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1924; greatly limited the number of immigrants allowed into US and set strict quotas for entry
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Americans with Disabilities Act
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1990; protected civil liberties of disabled Americans; mandated "reasonable accommodations" in public facilities
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National Voter Registration Bill (Motor Vehicle Act)
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1993; allowed people to register to vote when applying for driver's license
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Patriot Act
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2001; response to 9/11; broad police authority granted to federal, state, and local governments to interdict, prosecute, and convict suspected terrorists
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New Deal Legislation
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1933-1939; expanded government's role in the economy; created Social Security, Securities and Exchange Commission, Tennessee Valley Authority, etc.
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Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (Welfare Reform Act)
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1996; sought to increase the role of personal responsibility of welfare recipients and left more responsibilities for welfare provision to state governments
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act)
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2002; banned soft money contributions to national political parties and raised hard money limits to $2,000; parts of this law were struck down in Citizens United vs. FEC, 2010 (namely, corporations' donations to candidate could not be limited, as it was political speech)
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Presumption of Innocence
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innocent until proven guilty
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Adversarial System
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pitting prosecution and defense against one another to come up with best solution
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Criminal law
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serious crimes that harm individuals or society; requires indictment by grand jury; prosecution is always the state/government
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Grand Jury
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24 to 48 jurors who decide if a case should be sent to trial; does NOT decide innocence or guilt
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Plea bargain
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after being sent to trial by grand jury (in criminal law), accused may plea bargain (agree to plea guilty in exchange for lesser charges from prosecution)
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
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in criminal law, prosecution must prove defendant guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt"
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Petit juries
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"normal" jury; 12 members that decide guilt or innocence
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Civil law
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law dealing with disputes over contracts, property, custody, etc. (government is only a party if its being sued)
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Settlement
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civil law counterpart to criminal plea bargain; after case has been admitted to trial, parties may discuss concessions to avoid lawsuit
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Preponderance of evidence
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in civil law, plaintiff need not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; if most of the evidence favors the plaintiff, he wins
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Plaintiff
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prosecution in a civil lawsuit
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Equity
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person who loses a civil law case must stop whatever it was they were doing to the plaintiff
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Three levels of federal courts
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Federal District Courts, Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court
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Federal District Courts
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have original jurisdiction; 91 courts
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Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
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have appellate jurisdiction (hear appeals on District Court cases); only decides if something went wrong procedurally (not whether or not the verdict was correct); 13 courts
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Supreme Court's Jurisdiction
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has original AND appellate jurisdiction
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Standing
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having the right to bring a case (being directly involved in the dispute)
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