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Gov't quiz 2

Terms

undefined, object
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amicus curiae
person, private groups or institutions, or gov't agency that is not a party to a case but participates in the case, (usually through submission of a belief) at the invitation of the court or on its own initiative
spoils system
selector of employees by gov't agencies on the basis of party loyalty , electoral support, and political influence
gerrymandering
drawing district boundary lines for political advantage
ex post facto law
retroactive criminal law that works against the accused forbidden under Article I of the Constitution
petit juries
panel of citizens that hears evidence in a civil lawsuit or a criminal prosecution and decides the outcome by issuing a verdict
Diplomatic recognition
power of the president to grant "legitimacy" to withhold it from a gov't of another nation (to determine or refuse to declare it "rightful")
state decisis
judicial precept that the issue has already been decided in earlier cases and the earlier decision needs only be applied in the specific case before the bench, the rule in most cases, it comes from the Latin for "the decision stands."
impeachment
equivalent of a criminal charge against in elected official, removal from office depends on the outcome of a trial
grand jury
jury charged only with determining when the sufficient evidence exists to support indictment of an individual on a felony charge, decision to indict does not represent a conviction
bipartisanship
agreement by members of both Democratic and Republican parties
fiscal year
yearly gov't accounting period, begins Oct 1 - Sep 30
bureacracy
depts, agencies, bureaus, and offices that perform the functions of gov't
pocket veto
effective, when congress adjourns within days of passing it and the president fails to sign it
zero based budgeting
method of budgeting that demands justification for the entire budget requests of an agency, not just its requested increase influencing
gridlock
political statements between the executive and legislative branches arising, when one branch is controlled by 1 major political party and the other branch by the other branch
War powers resolution
bill passed in 1973 to limit presidential war-making, it restricts when, why, and for how long a pres. can commit U.S. forces and requires notification of and, in many cases, approval by Congress
oversight
congressional monitoring of the activities of excutive branch agencies to determine, if the laws are being faithfully executed.
override
voting in Congress to enact legislation vetoed by the president, requires 3 votes in both the House and Senate
judicial activism
making of new law through judicial interpretations of the Consitiution
plea bargaining
practice of allowing defendants to plead guilty to lesser crimes than those with which they were originally charged in return for reduced sentences
judicial review
power of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, to declare federal laws of Congres, laws of the states, and actions of the president unconstitutional and invalid
censure
public reprimand to wrong doing given to a member standing in the chamber before Congress
subcommittee
specialized committee within standing committee, subcommittee recommendations must be approved by the full standing committee before submission to the floor.
writ of habeas corpus
court order directing public officials who are holding a person in custody to bring the prisoner into the court and explain the reasons for confinement, the right is protected by Article I of the Constitution
appeal
In general, requests that a higher court review the decided at lower level. In the Supreme Court, certain cases are designated as appeals under federal law, formally, these must be heard by the court
Bicameral
Any legislative body that consists of 2 separate houses. In the U.S., The senate represents50 state-wide voter constituencies, and the House of Reps represents voters in 435 separate districts.
regulation
development by the federal bureaucracy of formal rules for implementing legislation
standing committee
permanent committee of the House or Senate that deals with matters within a specified subject area
executive privilage
right of the president to with hold from other branches of gov't confidential communications within the excutive branch, although poised by presidents, it has been upheld by the Supreme Court only in limited situations
statutory law
laws made by an act of Congress or the state legislation, as opposed to Constitutional law
cloture
`vote to end debate - end a filibuster - which requires a 3/5 vote of the entire membership of the Senate
constituency
the voters in a legislator's home district
Pork barreling
legislation designed to make gov't benefits, including jobs and projects used as political patronage flow to particular district or state
whips
In both House and Senate, the principal assistant to the party leaders and next in command of those leaders.
executive order
formal regulation governing executive branch operations issued by the presidents
writ of certiorari
writ issued by the Supreme Court, at its discretion to order a lower court to prepare the record of a case and send it to the Supreme Court for review. Most cases come to the court as petitions
free exercise clause
clause in the first amendment to the constitution that prohibits gov't from restircting religious beliefs and practices
shield laws
laws in some reporters the right to release to name their sources or to release their notes in court cases, may be overturned by the courts when such proposals jeopardize a fair trial for a defendant
deregulation
lifting of gov't rules and bureaucratic supervision from business and professional activity
filibuster
delaying tactic by a senator or group of senators using the Senate's unlimited debate rule to prevent a vote on a bill
majority opinion
opinion in a case that is subscribed to by a majority of the judges who participated in the decision

Deck Info

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