Political Science Test #3

Front 1

FOIA

Back 1

The Freedom of information Act, lets any member of the public apply to an agency for access to unclassified documents in its archives.

Front 2

Filibuster

Back 2

Mechanism for delay in the Senate in which one or more members engage in a continuous speech to prevent the Senate from voting on a bill.

Front 3

Earmark

Back 3

Specific amount of money designated at the request of a member of Congress for a favored project, usually in his or her district.

Front 4

Pork Barrel projects

Back 4

Special projects, buildings, and other public works in the district or state of a member of Congress that he or she supports because they provide jobs for constituents and enhance the member's reelection chances, rather than because the projects are necessarily wise.

Front 5

Cloture

Back 5

A method of stopping a filibuster by limiting debate to only twenty more hours; requires vote of three-fifths of the members of the Senate.

Front 6

Oversight

Back 6

Congress's responsibility to make sure the bureaucracy is administering federal programs in accordance with congressional intent.

Front 7

Activist Judges

Back 7

Judges who are not reluctant to overrule the other branches of government by declaring laws or actions of government officials unconstitutional.

Front 8

Restrained Judges

Back 8

Judges who are reluctant to overrule the other branches of government by declaring laws or actions of government officials unconstitutional.

Front 9

Judicial Review

Back 9

The authority of the courts to declare laws or actions of government officials unconstitutional.

Front 10

Jurisdiction

Back 10

The authority of a court to hear and decide cases.

Front 11

Whips

Back 11

Members of HOR who work to maintain party unity by keeping in contact with party members and trying to ensure they vote for party-backed bills.

Front 12

Executive Orders

Back 12

Rules or regulations issued by the president that have the force of law; issued to implement constitutional provisions or statutes

Front 13

Signing Statements

Back 13

Written comments a president may attach to a law after signing it and sending it to the Federal Register for publication.

Front 14

Executive privilege

Back 14

The authority of the president to withhold specific types of information from the courts and Congress

Front 15

Writ of Habeas Corpus

Back 15

Order issued by a higher court to a lower court to send up the record of a case for review

Front 16

Appropriations

Back 16

Budget legislation that specifies the amount of authorized funds that will actually be allocated for agencies and departments to spend

Front 17

Authorizations

Back 17

Budget legislation that provides agencies and departments with the legal authority to operate

Front 18

Standing Committee

Back 18

permanent congressional committees

Front 19

Conference Committee

Back 19

committee composed of members of both houses of Congress that is formed to try to resolve the differences when the two houses pass different versions of the same bill.

Front 20

Reapportionment

Back 20

process of redistributing the 435 seats in the HOR among the states based on population changes

Front 21

Redistricting

Back 21

process of redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts within a state after a census to take account of population shifts

Front 22

Commander-in-chief

Back 22

presidents constitutional role as head of the armed forces with power to direct their use

Front 23

Chief Executive

Back 23

role the president serves as head and chief administrator of the federal bureaucracy

Front 24

War Powers Resolution

Back 24

statute enacted by Congress to limit the president's ability to commit troops to combat without congressional approval