Political Science Chp 12-15

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constituency

Back 1

the residents in the area from which an official is elected

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bicameral

Back 2

having a legilative assembly composed of two chambers or houses

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social representation

Back 3

a type of representation in which representatives have the same racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or educational backgrounds as tiher consitituents. It is based on the principle that if two individuals are similar in background, character, interests, and perspectives, then one could correctly represent the other's views.

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agency representation

Back 4

the type of representation in which a representative is held accountable to a consituency if he or she fails to represent that constituency properly

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incumbency

Back 5

holding a political office for which one is running

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term limits

Back 6

legally prescribed limits on the number of terms an elected official can serve

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apportionment

Back 7

the process, occurring after every decennial census, that allocates congressional seats among the fifty states

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redistricting

Back 8

the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives

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gerrymandering

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apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party

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patronage

Back 10

the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or speial favors to supporters

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pork barrell [or pork]

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apprppriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win re-election in their home districts

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private bill

Back 12

a proposal in Congress to provide a specific person with some kind of relief, such as special exemption from immigration quotas

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conference

Back 13

a gathering of House Republicans every two years to elect thier House leaders. Democrats call their gathering the caucus

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caucus (political)

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a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

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Speaker of the House

Back 15

the chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is the most important party and House leader, and can influence the legislative agenda, the fate of individual pieces of legislation, and members' positions within the House

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majority leader

Back 16

the elected leader of the majority party in the Hosue of Representatives or in the Senate. In the House, the majority leader is subordinate in the party hierarchy to the Speaker of the House

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minority leader

Back 17

the elected leader of the minority party in the House or Senate

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whip

Back 18

a party member in the House or Senate responsible for coordinating the party's legilative strategy, building support for key issues, and counting votes

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standing committee

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a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture

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select committee

Back 20

a (ususally) temporary legislative committee set up to highlight or investigate a particualr issue or address an issue not within the jurisdiciton of existing committees

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joint committee

Back 21

a legislative committee formed of members of both the House and the Senate

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conference committee

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a joint committee created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation

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seniority

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ranking given to an individual ont he basis of length of continuous service on a committee in Congress

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staff agency

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a legislative support agency responsible for political analysis

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caucus (congressional)

Back 25

an association of members of Congress based on party, interest, or social group, such as gender or race

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bill

Back 26

a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of Congress and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate

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committee markup

Back 27

session in which a congressional committee rewrites legislation to incorporate changes discussed during hearing on the bill

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closed rule

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a provision by the House Rules Committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate

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open rule

Back 29

a provision by the House Rules Committee that permits floor debate and the addition of new amendments to a bill

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filibuster

Back 30

a tactic used by member of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by ocntinuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down. Once given the floor, senators have unlimited time to speak, and it requires a vote of three-fifths of the Senate to end a filibuster

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cloture

Back 31

a rule allowing a majority of two-thirds or three-fifths of the members of a legilative body to set a time limit on debate over a given bill

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veto

Back 32

the president's consitutional power to turn down acts of Congress. A presidential veto may be overriden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress

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pocket veto

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a presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the fianl ten days of a legislative session

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party unity vote

Back 34

a roll-call vote in the House or Senate in which at least 50 oercent of the members of one party take a particular position and are opposed by at least 50 percent of the members of the other party

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roll-call vote

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a vote in chich each legislator's yes or no vote is recorded a the clerck calls the names of the members alphabetically

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logrolling

Back 36

a legislative practice whereby agreements are made between legislators in voting for or against a bill; vote trading

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oversight

Back 37

the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies

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appropriations

Back 38

the amounts of money approved by Congress in statutes (bills) that each unit or agency of government can spend

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executive agreement

Back 39

an agreement, made between the president and another country, that has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senate's "advice and consent"

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impeachment

Back 40

the formal charge by the House of Representatives that a government official has committed "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors"

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delegate

Back 41

a representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her consituency

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trustee

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a representative who votes based on what he or she thinks is best for his or her constituency

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expressed powers

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specific powers granted by the Consitution to Congress and to the president

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delegated powers

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constitutional powers that are assigned to one governmental agency but that are exercised by another agency with the express permission of the first

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inherent powers

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powers claimed by a president that are not expressed in the Constitution, but are inferred from it

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commander in chief

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the role of the president as commander of the national military and the state national guard units (when called into service)

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War Powers Resolution

Back 47

a resolution of Congress that the president can send troops into aciton acroad only by authorization of Congress, or if American troops are already under attack or serious threat

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executive privilege

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the claim that confidential communicaitons between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president

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legislative initiative

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the president's inherent power to bring a legislative agenda before Congress

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executive order

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a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation

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White House staff

Back 51

analysts and advisers to the president, often given the title "special assistant"

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Kitchen Cabinet

Back 52

an informal group of advisers to whom the president turns for counsel and giudance. Member of the official Cabinet may or may not also be members of the Kitchen Cabinet

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Executive Office of the President (EOP)

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the permanent agencies that perform defined management tasks for the president

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mandate

Back 54

a claim by a victorious candidate that the electorate has given him or her special authority to carry out promises made during the campaign

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bureaucracy

Back 55

the complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that are employed by all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel

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implementation

Back 56

the efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic routines

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rule making

Back 57

a quasi-legislative administrative administrative process by which government agencies produce regulations

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administrative adjudication

Back 58

applying rules and precedents to specific cases to settle disputes between regulated parties

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merit system

Back 59

a product of civil service reform, in which appointees to positions in public bureaucracies must onjectively be deemed qualified for those positions

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department

Back 60

the largest subunit of the executive branch. the secretaries of the fifteen departments form the Cabinet

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independent agency

Back 61

an agency that is not part of a Cabinet department

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government corporation

Back 62

a gocernment agency that performs a service normally provided by the private sector

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regualtory agencies

Back 63

departments, bureaus, or independent agencies whose primary missions is to impose limits, restricitons, or other obligations on the conduct of individuals or companies in the private sector

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iron triangle

Back 64

the stable, cooperative relationship that often develops among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups.

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fiscal policy

Back 65

the government's use of taxing, monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the economy

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Federal Reserve System

Back 66

a sustem of twelve Fedreal Reserve Banks that facilitates exchanges of cash, chekcs, and credit; regulates member banks; uses monetary policies to fight inflation and deflation

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revenue agencies

Back 67

agencies responsible for colelction taxes

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deregulation

Back 68

a policy of reducing or eliminating regulatory restraints on the conduct of individuals or private institutions

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devolution

Back 69

a policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government, such as from the national government to the state and local governments

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privatization

Back 70

removing all or part of a program from the public sector to the private sector

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oversight

Back 71

the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies

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criminal law

Back 72

the branch of law that regulates the conduct of individuals, defines crimes, and specifies punishment for criminal acts

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plaintiff

Back 73

the individual or organizaiton who brings a complaint in court

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defendant

Back 74

the one against who a complaint is brought in a criminal or civil case

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civil law

Back 75

the branch of law that deals with disputes that do not involve criminal penalties

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precedent

Back 76

prior case whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decision in a present case

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stare decisis

Back 77

literally, "let the decision stand." The doctrine that a previous decision by a court applied as a precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled

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trial court

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the first court to hear a criminal or civil case

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court of appeals

Back 79

a court that hears appeals of trial court decisions

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supreme court

Back 80

the highest court in a particular stae or in the United States. This court primarily serves an appellate function

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plea bargain

Back 81

a negotiated agreement ina criminal case in which a defendant agrees to plead guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge or prision sentence the defendant is facing

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Uniform Commercial Code

Back 82

code used in many states in the area of contract law to reduce interstate differences in judicial decisions

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jurisdiciton

Back 83

the sphere of a court's power and authority

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writ of habeas corpus

Back 84

a court order that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention

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origianl jurisdiction

Back 85

the authority to initially consider a case

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chief justice

Back 86

justice on the Supreme Court who presides over the Court's public sessions

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senatorial courtesy

Back 87

the practice whereby the president, before formally nominating a person for federal judgeship, seeks the indicaiton taht senators from the candidate's own state support the nomination

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judicial review

Back 88

the power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional

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supremacy clause

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Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all traties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

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Miranda rule

Back 90

the requirement, articulated by the Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona, that persons under arrest must be informed prior to police interrogation of tiher rights to remain silent and to have the benefit of legal counsel

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standing

Back 91

the right of an individual or organization to initiate a court case, on the basis or thier having a substantial stake in the outcome

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mootness

Back 92

a criterior used by courts to screen cases that no longer require resolution

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writ of certiorari

Back 93

a decision of at least four of the nine Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court; from the Latin " to make more certain"

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solicitor general

Back 94

the top government lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court where the government is a party

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per curiam

Back 95

a brief, unsigned decision by an appellate court, usually rejecting a petition to review the decision of a lower court

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amicus curiae

Back 96

literally "frind of the court"; individuals or gorups who are not parties to a lawsuit but who seek to assist the Supreme Court in reaching a decision by presenting additional briefs

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brief

Back 97

a written document in which attorneys explain, using case precedents, why the court should find in favor of their client

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oral argument

Back 98

stage in Supreme Court procedure in which attorneys for both sides appear before the Court to present thier positions and answer questions posed by justices

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opinion

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the written explanation of the Supreme Court's decision in a particular case

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dissenting opinion

Back 100

a decision written by a justice in the minority in a particular case in which the justice wishes to express his or her reasoning in the case

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judicial restraint

Back 101

judical philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting its meaning

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judicial activism

Back 102

judicial philosophy that posits that the Court should go beyond the words of the Consitution or a statute to consider the broader societal implicaiton of its decisions

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class-action suit

Back 103

a leagl action by which a group or class of individuals with common interests can file suit on a behalf of everyone who shares that interest