Terms : Hide Images
| 13759321521 | Bully Pulpit | The president using his power to influence people | 0 | |
| 13759321522 | War Powers Resolution | Report to congress within 48 hours of deploying troops, and must bring them home within 60 days | 1 | |
| 13759321523 | executive agreement | a pact between the president and the head of a foreign state (no senate approval needed) | 2 | |
| 13759321524 | Census | the official count of a population done every 10 years | 3 | |
| 13759321525 | Apportionment | Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state | 4 | |
| 13759321526 | gerrymander | to divide an area into voting districts in a way that favors a political party | 5 | |
| 13759321527 | Casework | Different issues that Congress members help their constituents on | 6 | |
| 13759321528 | pork barrel | legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return | 7 | |
| 13759321529 | earmark | a congressional directive that funds should be spent on a specific project. | 8 | |
| 13759321530 | Logrolling | The exchange between politicians of political support on one issue for political support on another. | 9 | |
| 13759321531 | concurrent resolution | settles housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses | 10 | |
| 13759321532 | joint resolution | Proposing an amendment to the US constitution | 11 | |
| 13759321533 | simple resolution | passed by either house, used to establish rules on how each house operates | 12 | |
| 13759321534 | multiple referral | a bill is referred to several committees simultaneously | 13 | |
| 13759321535 | sequential referral | a speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting | 14 | |
| 13759321536 | Rider | An addition to a bill | 15 | |
| 13759321537 | Christmas tree bill | a bill with many riders | 16 | |
| 13759321538 | standing committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area | 17 | |
| 13759321539 | select committee | A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose. | 18 | |
| 13759321540 | joint committee | legislative committee composed of members of both houses | 19 | |
| 13759321541 | lame duck | A person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection | 20 | |
| 13759321542 | House Rules Committee | the committee that determines how and when debate on a bill will take place | 21 | |
| 13759321543 | House Ways and Means Committee | House committee that handles tax bills | 22 | |
| 13759321544 | House Appropriations Committee | Committee in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States. | 23 | |
| 13759321545 | prior restraint | government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast | 24 | |
| 13759321546 | exclusionary rule | improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial | 25 | |
| 13759321547 | eminent domain | Power of a government to take private property for public use. | 26 | |
| 13759321548 | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | outlawed discrimination in public places and employment based on race, religion, or national origin | 27 | |
| 13759321549 | Civil rights act of 1965 | prohibits racial discrimination in voting | 28 | |
| 13759321550 | Federal Voting Rights Act | Outlaws all voting barriers (literacy test, grandfather clause) | 29 | |
| 13759321551 | Americans with Disabilities Act | Ends discrimination to those with disabilities in public places | 30 | |
| 13759321552 | Incrementalism | The belief that the best predictor of this year's budget is the last year's budget, plus a little bit more. | 31 | |
| 13759321553 | Office of Management and Budget (OMB) | Creates a budget for the president to approve | 32 | |
| 13759321554 | Congressional Budget Office | federal agency within the legislative branch that provides budget and economic information to Congress | 33 | |
| 13759321555 | Bureaucracy | Complex group of people who were under the president | 34 | |
| 13759321556 | 527c's | Non-profit organizations created to influence selection of a candidate, and election | 35 | |
| 13759321557 | soft money | Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities. | 36 | |
| 13759321558 | hard money | campaign contributions donated directly to candidates | 37 | |
| 13759321559 | Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act | the act or law that banned soft money | 38 | |
| 13759321560 | Dealignment | Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents. | 39 | |
| 13759321561 | Caucus | A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform. | 40 | |
| 13759321562 | Frontloading | The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention. | 41 | |
| 13759321563 | Shay's Rebellion | A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes | 42 | |
| 13759321564 | concurrent powers | powers shared by the national and state governments | 43 | |
| 13759321565 | delegated powers | Those powers, expressed, implied, or inherent, granted to the National Government by the constitution | 44 | |
| 13759321566 | reserved powers | Powers given to the state government alone | 45 | |
| 13759321567 | Mandates | terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants | 46 | |
| 13759321568 | unfunded mandates | Programs that the Federal government requires States to implement without Federal funding. | 47 | |
| 13759321569 | Underfunded Mandate | program mandated by Congress and administered by the states but only paticially funded by the federal gov. | 48 | |
| 13759321570 | block grants | federal grants-in-aid that allow states considerable discretion in how the funds are spent | 49 | |
| 13759321571 | categorical grants | Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport | 50 | |
| 13759321572 | 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. | 51 | |
| 13759321573 | Necessary and Proper Clause | constitutional authorization for Congress to make any law required to carry out its powers | 52 | |
| 13759321574 | Bureaucratic Rulemaking | The process in which the bureaucracy decides what the laws passed by Congress mean and how they should be carried out. | 53 | |
| 13759321575 | Political Action Committee (PAC) | a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns | 54 | |
| 13759321576 | linkage institutions | Institutions that connect citizens to government. | 55 | |
| 13759321577 | Iron Triangle | A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group | 56 | |
| 13759321578 | conference committee | special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate | 57 | |
| 13759321579 | pro tempore | Takes Vice President's place in senate during an absence | 58 | |
| 13759321580 | Quorum | The number of senate members that must be present to do business | 59 | |
| 13759321581 | cloture rule | A Senate rule offering a means for stopping a filibuster | 60 | |
| 13759321582 | closed rule | A bill that can not be changed or amended | 61 | |
| 13759321583 | Open rule | A bill that can be debated on and changed in congress | 62 | |
| 13759321584 | Malapportionment | The creation of electoral districts | 63 | |
| 13759321585 | marginal districts | political districts in which candidates elected to the house of representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote | 64 | |
| 13759321586 | budget | The government spending plan for a given year | 65 | |
| 13759321587 | Patronage | Making appointments to political office based on prior relationships | 66 | |
| 13759321588 | regulatory agency | a governmental agency that regulates businesses in the public interest | 67 | |
| 13759321589 | Rule of Propinquity | power is held by the people in the room when the decision is made | 68 | |
| 13759321590 | senatorial courtesy | a custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state, especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state. | 69 | |
| 13759321591 | writ of certiorari | An order by a higher court directing a lower court to send up a case for review | 70 | |
| 13759321592 | Plaintiff | a person who brings a case against another in a court of law. | 71 | |
| 13759321593 | Rule of 4 | At least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard | 72 | |
| 13759321594 | writ of mandamus | written order from a court to enforce the performance of some public duty | 73 | |
| 13759321595 | class action lawsuit | a case brought by a group of individuals on behalf of themselves and others in the general public who are in similar circumstances | 74 | |
| 13759321596 | solicitor general | Justice Department officer who argues the government's cases before the Supreme Court | 75 | |
| 13759321597 | bill of attainder | a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime | 76 | |
| 13759321598 | Case and Controversy | the requirement that there must be an actual dispute for the supreme court to accept a case for consideration | 77 | |
| 13759321599 | Centralized Federalism | The relationship between the national and state governments whereby the national government imposes its policy preferences on state governments. | 78 | |
| 13759321600 | Competitive Federalism | A form of federalism in which states compete to attract businesses and jobs through the policies they adopt. | 79 | |
| 13759321601 | conditions of aid | Federal rules attached to the grants that states receive. States must agree to abide by these rules in order to receive the grants. | 80 | |
| 13759321602 | continuous body | governing unit whose seats are never all up for election at the same time | 81 | |
| 13759321603 | Cooperative Federalism | system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems | 82 | |
| 13759321604 | critical election | an election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities | 83 | |
| 13759321605 | Dual Federalism | A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies. | 84 | |
| 13759321606 | Due Process | following established legal procedures | 85 | |
| 13759321607 | Due Process Clause | part of the 14th Amendment which guarantees that no state deny basic rights to its people | 86 | |
| 13759321608 | elite democracy | a theory of democracy that limits the citizens' role to choosing among competing leaders | 87 | |
| 13759321609 | ex post facto | a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed | 88 | |
| 13759321610 | Extradition | A legal process whereby a state surrenders a person charged with a crime to the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed. | 89 | |
| 13759321611 | Equal Protection Clause | Constitutional guarantee that everyone be treated equally-14th amendment | 90 | |
| 13759321612 | Fiscal Federalism | Federal government using money (grants) to influence & control states. | 91 | |
| 13759321613 | Formula grant | Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations. | 92 | |
| 13759321614 | free rider | An individual who does not to join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence. | 93 | |
| 13759321615 | Full Faith and Credit Clause | Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state | 94 | |
| 13759321616 | Grants | money given by the national government to the states | 95 | |
| 13759321617 | grants-in-aid | programs through which Congress provides money to state and local governments on the condition that the funds be employed for purposes defined by the federal government | 96 | |
| 13759321618 | gubernatorial | anything relating to a governor | 97 | |
| 13759321619 | high crimes and misdemeanors | Circumstances under which the president can by impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate. | 98 | |
| 13759321620 | Hyperpluralism | A state in which many groups or factions are so strong that a government is unable to function. | 99 | |
| 13759321621 | juristiction | The authority of a court to hear a case | 100 | |
| 13759321622 | Limited Government | A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution. | 101 | |
| 13759321623 | majority rule | the principle that the greater number should exercise greater power. | 102 | |
| 13759321624 | matching grant | A grant of money given by the federal government to a state government for which the federal government provides matching funds, usually between one and two dollars, for every dollar the state spends in some area. | 103 | |
| 13759321625 | Natural Law | A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature and, as such, can be understood by reason. | 104 | |
| 13759321626 | Natural Rights | "Life, Liberty, and Property" | 105 | |
| 13759321627 | original jurisdiction | The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case. | 106 | |
| 13759321628 | party platform | A document drawn up at each national convention, outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the party. | 107 | |
| 13759321629 | plurality election | a type of election in which the candidate with the most votes wins the election | 108 | |
| 13759321630 | police power | power reserved to the state government to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens | 109 | |
| 13759321631 | political efficacy | The belief that one's political participation makes a difference. | 110 | |
| 13759321632 | political socialization | the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions | 111 | |
| 13759321633 | precedent | How similar cases have been decided in the past. | 112 | |
| 13759321634 | Project grant | one type of federal grants-in-aid; made for specific projects to States, localities, and private agencies who apply for them | 113 | |
| 13759321635 | Public monies | money from federal government used to match presidential campaigning | 114 | |
| 13759321636 | random sample | method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected | 115 | |
| 13759321637 | Recall | A procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term. | 116 | |
| 13759321638 | revenue sharing | the distribution of a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local governments. | 117 | |
| 13759321639 | single-member district | An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official. | 118 | |
| 13759321640 | Social Contract Theory | The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed; espoused by John Locke and influential in the writing of the declaration of independence. | 119 | |
| 13759321641 | Spoils System | A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends. | 120 | |
| 13759321642 | unitary system | A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government | 121 |
