political science
Terms
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- inherent powers
- powers that grow out of the very existence of government
- docket
- the list of potential cases that reach the supreme court
- seniority rule
- a legislative practice that assigns the chair of a committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longes continuous service on the committe
- reapportionment
- the assigning by congess of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.
- 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
- regulations
- the formal instructions that government issues for implemnting laws.
- impeachment
- formal accusation against the president or other public official, the first step in removal from office
- 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 olffer amendments
- administrative discretion
- authority given by congress to the federal bureaucracy to use resonable judgment in implementing the laws
- office of management and budget (OMB)
- presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies
- 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, he state constitution
- 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
- 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
- whip
- party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature
- hold
- a procedural practice in the senae whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of a bill or nomintation
- justiciable law
- a dispute growing out of an actual case or controversy and that is capable of settlement by legal methods
- cloture
- a procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the senate
- 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
- executive orders
- formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy
- 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
- mandate
- a presidents claim of broad public support
- department
- usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission , also the highest rank in federal hierarchy
- redistricting
- the redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districs as equal as possible in population.
- independent regulatory commission
- a government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by congress
- enumerated powers
- the powers explicitly given to congress n teh constitution
- defendant
- in a criminal action, the person or party accused of an offense
- 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.
- criminal justice
- a law that defines crimes against the public order
- cycle of decreasing influience
- the tendency of presidents to lose support over time
- incumbent
- the current holder of elected office
- constituents
- the residents of a congressional district or state
- amicus curiae brief
- literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addiction to those presented by the immediate partiees to a case
- write of certiorari
- a formal writ used to bring a case before the supreme court
- entitlement program
- programs such as unemployment insurance disaster relief, or disability payments taht provide benefits to all eligible citizens
- bureaucrat
- a career government employee
- independent agency
- a government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
- civil law
- a law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights
- gerrmandering
- the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incombent.
- senatorial courtesy
- presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointes are to work
- delegate
- an official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even personally holding different views. one interpretation of the role of the legislator
- office of personnel management (OPM)
- agency that adminsters civil service laws, rules and regulations
- opinion of the court
- an explanation of a decision of the supreme court or any other appellate court
- hatch act
- federal statute barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds
- court of appeals
- a court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts
- 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
- bureaucracy
- a form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures
- bicameralism
- the principle of a two-house legislature
- merit system
- a system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage
- standing committee
- a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.
- earmarks
- special spending projectgs that are set aside on behalf of individual members of congress for their constituents
- speaker
- the presiding officer in the house of representatives, formally elected by the house but actually selected by the majority party
- 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.
- attentive public
- those citizens who follow public affairs closely
- rule-making process
- The formal process for making regulations
- trustee
- an official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances, on interpretation of the role of the legislator
- president pro tempore
- officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president
- state of the union address
- the presidents annual statement to congress and the nation
- uncontrollable spending
- the portion of the federal budget that is spent on programs, such as socia security, that the president and congress are unwilling to cut.
- take care clause
- the constitutional requirement( in article ll, section 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws
- chief of staff
- the head of the white house staff
- government corporation
- a government agency that operates like a business coprotation created to secure greater freedom of action adn gelcibility for particular program
- 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 advisors and several other units
- cabinet
- advisory council for the president , consisting of the heads of executive departments, the vice president and a few other officials selected by the president
- implementation
- the process of putting a law into practive through bureaucratic rules of spending
- oversight
- legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. can be in response to crisis of some kind or part of routine review
- concurring opionion
- an opinion that agrees with the majority in a supreme court ruling but differs on the reasoning
- write of habeas corpus
- a court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody
- appellate jurisdiction
- the authority of a court to reciew decisions made by lower courts
- impoundment
- a decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by congress, now prohibited under federal law
- special or select committee
- a congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation
- dissenting opinion
- an opinion disagreeing with the majority in a supreme court ruling
- congressional -executive agreement
- a formal agreement between the u.s. president and the leaders of other nations that requires approval by both hourses of congress
- filibuster
- a procedural practive in the senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue
- rider
- a provision attached to a bill to which it may or may not be related in order to secure its passage or defeat.
- rally point
- a rise in public approval of the president that follows a crisis as americans rally round the flaf, and the chief executive
- cycly of increasing effectiveness
- the tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time
- judicial restraint
- philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the constitution to reflect current conditions and values
- 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
- spoils system
- a system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends
- conference committee
- committee appointed by the presideing officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particlular bill passed by each in different form
- 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
- presidential ticket
- the joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the twelfth amendment
- minority leader
- the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition
- treaty
- a formal, public agreement between the united states and one or more nations that must be approved by two-thirds of the senate.
- executive privilege
- the right to keep executive communications confidential especially if they relate to national security
- executive agreement
- a formal agreement between the u.s. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require senate approval
- parliamentary system
- a system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president
- line item veto
- presidential power to strike , or remove, specific items from a spending bill withour vetoing the entire package, declared unconstitutional by the supreme court.
- veto
- a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress
- original jurdisdiction
- the authority of a court to hear a case "in the first instance."
- open rule
- a procedural rule in the house of representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill
- 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
- logrolling
- mutual aid and vote trading among legislators
- 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 possible override
- indexing
- providing automatic increases to compensate the inflation
- adversary system
- a judicial system in which the court of law is a newtral arena where two parties argue their differences
- 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
- joint committee
- a committee composed of members of both the hours of representatives and the senate, such committees oversee the library of congress and conduct investigations
- override
- an action taken by congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two thirds majority in each chamber