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Politics Terms Ch. 11-14

Bold terms from "Government by the People" 22nd ed. Chapters 11-14.

Terms

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Amicus Curiae Brief
Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.
Cycle of Increasing Effectiveness
The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time.
Implementation
The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending.
Office of Management and Budget
Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.
Court of Appeals
A court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts.
Judicial Restraint
Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect what the framers intended and what its words literally say.
Dissenting Opinion
An opinion disagreeing with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling.
Veto
A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress.
Whip
Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.
Executive Agreement
A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.
Civil Law
A law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights.
Special or Select Committee
A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation.
Chief of Staff
The head of the White House staff.
Independent Regulatory Commission
A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress.
Open Rule
A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.
Take Care Clause
The constitutional requirement that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.
Precedent
A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding on all other federal courts.
Executive Office of the President
The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.
Seniority Rule
A legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee.
Safe Seat
An 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.
Presidential Ticket
The joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the Twelfth Amendment.
Treaty
A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.
Constituents
The residents of a congressional district or state.
Department
Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in federal hierarchy.
Senatorial Courtesy
Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.
Conference Committee
Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.
Plea Bargain
Agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for a more serious offense.
Impoundment
A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress, now prohibited under federal law.
Earmarks
Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.
Majority Leader
The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.
Senatorial Courtesy
Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.
Judicial Review
The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or, in a state court, the state constitution.
Attentive Public
Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully.
Pocket Veto
A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for ten days, the bill does not become law and is not returned to Congress for a possible override.
Rule-Making Process
The formal process for making regulations.
Hold
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomination.
Bicameralism
The principle of a two-house legislature.
Cabinet
Advisory council for the president, consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.
President Pro Tempore
Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president.
Hatch Act
Federal statute barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds.
Writ of Certiorari
A formal writ used to bring a case before the Supreme Court.
Impeachment
Formal accusation against the president or other public official, the first step in removal from office.
Redistricting
The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.
Criminal Law
A law that defines crimes against the public order.
Line Item Veto
Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
Bureaucrat
A career government employee.
Executive Privilege
The right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.
Oversight
Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Can be in response to a crises of some kind or part of routine review.
State of the Union Address
The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation.
Opinion of the Court
An explanation of a decision of the Supreme Court or any other appellate court.
Inherent Powers
Powers that grow out of the very existence of government.
Closed Rule
A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments.
Merit System
A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage.
Government Corporation
A government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program.
Gerrymandering
The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.
Central Clearance
Review of all executive branch testimony, reports, and draft legislation by the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each communication to Congress is in accordance with the president's program.
Entitlement Program
Programs such as unemployment insurance, disaster relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens.
Concurring Opinion
An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning.
Bureaucracy
A form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures.
Override
An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
Regulations
The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws.
Speaker
The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.
Cycle of Decreasing Influence
The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.
Public Defender System
Arrangement whereby public officials are hired to provide legal assistance to people accused of crimes who are unable to hire their own attorneys.
Incumbent
The current holder of elected office.
Original Jursidiction
The authority of a court to hear a case "in the first instance."
Docket
The list of potential cases that reach the Supreme Court.
Uncontrollable Spending
The portion of the federal budget that is spent on programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut.
Filibuster
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.
Writ of Habeas Corpus
A court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody.
Minority Leader
The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition.
Stare Decisis
The rule of precedent, whereby a rule or law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented.
Party Caucus
A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy. Called a conference by the Republicans.
Rally Point
A rise in public approval of the president that follows a crises as Americans "rally 'round the flag" and the chief executive.
Defendant
In a criminal action, the person or party accused of an offense.
Enumerated Powers
The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution.
Cloture
A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.
Indexing
Providing automatic increases to compensate for inflation.
Mandate
A president's claim of broad public support.
Spoils System
A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.
Senior Executive Service
Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who work closely with presidential appointees to manage government.
Appellate Jurisdiction
The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts.
Parliamentary System
A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.
Office of Personnel Management
Agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations.
Congressional-Executive Agreement
A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that requires approval by both houses of Congress.
Standing Committee
A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.
Delegate
An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.
Executive Orders
Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy.
Pocket Veto
A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns - if Congress adjourns during the ten days that the president is allowed in order to sign or veto a law, the president can reject the law by taking no action at all.
Judicial Activism
Philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values.
Administrative Discretion
Authority given by Congress to the federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.
Joint Committee
A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.
Logrolling
Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.
Trustee
An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.
Discharge Petition
Petition that, if signed by a majority of the House of Representatives; members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.
Rider
A provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat.
Justiciable Dispute
A dispute growing out of an actual case or controversy and that is capable of settlement by legal methods.
Reapportionment
The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.
Independent Agency
A government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Adversary System
A judicial system in which the court of law is a neutral arena where two parties argue their differences.

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