Terms : Hide Images
| 61968287 | activist approach | the view that judges should discern the general principles underlying laws or the constitution and apply them to modern circumstances | |
| 61968288 | Bicameral legislation | A lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts. Example: US Congress, duh! | |
| 61968289 | Cabinet | group of officials who head the 14 major executive government departments and advise the President | |
| 61968290 | De facto Segregation | racial segregation that occurs in schools, not as a result of the law, but as a result of patterns of residential settlement | |
| 61968291 | Elite | an identifiable group of persons who passess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, such as money or political power or potatoes | |
| 61968292 | Faction | a group of people who seek to influence public policy in ways contrary to the public good | |
| 61968293 | Gender Gap | Difference in political views between men and women | |
| 61968294 | Home-rule charter | A charter that allows the city government to do anything that is not prohibited by the charter or by state law | |
| 61968295 | Impeachment | Formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office. | |
| 61968296 | Jim Crow | Slang expression for African Americans and came to signify the laws and governmental practices designed to segregate blacks and whites | |
| 61968297 | Laissez-faire | an economic theory that government should not regulate or interfere with commerce | |
| 61968298 | Majoritarian politics | the politics of policy making in which almost everybody benefits from a ploticy and almost everybody pays for it | |
| 61968299 | Name request job | A job to be fill by a person whom the government agency has identified by name | |
| 61968300 | Office-bloc ballot | A ballot listing all candidates for a given office under the name of that office | |
| 61968301 | Party-column ballot | a ballot listing all the candidates of a given party together under the name of that party | |
| 61968302 | Quorum | a gathering of the minimal number of members of an organization to conduct business in Congress | |
| 61968303 | Random sample | a sample selected in such a way that any member of the population being surveyed has an equal chance of being interviewed | |
| 61968304 | Safe districts | Districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more. | |
| 61968305 | Teller vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second. | |
| 61968306 | Unalienable | based on nature and Providence rather than on the preference of people | |
| 61968307 | Valence issue | an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs | |
| 61968308 | Wall-of-seperation principle | A Supreme Court interpretation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution that prevents government involvement in religion, even on a non-preferential basis | |
| 61968309 | Whip | A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up members for important votes, and keeps count of how they are voting on controversial issues | |
| 61968310 | White primary | the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation | |
| 61968311 | Work ethic | A belief in the importance of hard work and personal achievement | |
| 61968312 | writ of certiorari | Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review | |
| 61968313 | writ of habeas corpus | a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person | |
| 61970416 | Voting-age population | The citizens who are eligible to vote ater reaching a minimum age requirement | |
| 61970417 | voice vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval; allows members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills. | |
| 61970418 | veto message | a way for the president to disapprove a bill from Congress. The veto message must be sent back to Congress within 10 days of receiving the bill | |
| 61970419 | Unitary System | a system of government in which sovereignty is in the hands of the national government so that subnational political governments are dependent on it | |
| 61970420 | Unified government | A government in which the same party controls the presidency and both houses of Congress. | |
| 61970421 | third-order devolution | The use of non-governmental organizations to implement public policy | |
| 61970422 | trustee approach | The view that an elected representative should act on his or her own best judgment of what public policy requires. | |
| 61970423 | two party system | An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections. | |
| 61970424 | Quorum call | A roll call in either house of Congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present. | |
| 61970425 | open primary | a primary election that permits voters to choose on election day the primary in which they with to vote. They may vote for the candidates of only one party. | |
| 61970426 | Opinion of the Court | A Supreme Court opinion written by one or more justices in the majority to explain the decision in a case | |
| 61970427 | Orthodox | People who believe that moral rules are derived from God or the laws of nature. These commands are unchanging and independent of individual preferences. | |
| 61970428 | National chairman | The person responsible for managing the day-to-day work of a national political party. The person is given a full-time, paid position and is elected by the national committee. | |
| 61970429 | National committee | A committee of delegates from each state and territory that runs party affairs between national conventions | |
| 61970430 | national conventions | A meeting of party delegates elected in state primaries, caucuses, or conventions that is held every 4 years to nominate candidates and ratify a campaign platform | |
| 61970431 | necessary and proper clause | Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government | |
| 61970432 | nonviolent civil disobedience | A philosophy of opposing a law one considers unjust by peacefully violating it and allowing oneself to be punished as a result. | |
| 61973012 | nullification | A theory that the states had right to nullify a federal law that in their opinion violated the Constitution | |
| 61973013 | lame duck | a person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection | |
| 61973014 | Legislative court | A lower federal court created by Congress for specialized purposes. These justices have fixed terms of office, can be removed from office, and may have their salaries reduced while in office. | |
| 61973015 | legislative veto | the rejection of a presidential or administrative agency action by a vote of one or both houses of Congress without the consent of the president. Declare unconstitutional by the Supreme Court | |
| 61973016 | Legitimacy | political authority conferred by law, public opinion, or constitution | |
| 61973017 | Libel | a written statement that falsely injures the reputation of another person | |
| 61973018 | liberal | a person who generally believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs but that the government should not dictate social behavior | |
| 61973019 | Libertarians | People who wish to maximize a personal liberty on both economic and social issues. The prefer a small, weak government, that has little control over either the economy or the personal lives of citizens. | |
| 61973020 | Line-item veto | The executive power to veto some provisions in an appropriations bill while approving others. | |
| 61973021 | Literacy test | A test administered as a precondition for voting, often used to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote. | |
| 61973022 | Litmus test | questions that attempt to determine a judges ideology and how it will impact his/her decisions | |
| 61973023 | Lobby | an attempt to influence governmental decisions | |
| 61973024 | Lobbyist | A person who attempts to influence government decisions on behalf of a group, such as an interest group | |
| 61973025 | Joint committees | Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses. | |
| 61973026 | joint resolution | a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president | |
| 61983245 | Judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of the legislative and executive unconstitutional | |
| 61983246 | General election | an election used to fill an elective office | |
| 61983247 | Gerrymandering | the drawing of legislative district boundaries into unusual shapes to benefit a party, group, or incumbent | |
| 61983248 | Good-faith exception | Admission at a trial of evidence that is gathered in violation of the Constitution if the violation results from a technical or minor error | |
| 61983249 | Grandfather clause | A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867. | |
| 61983250 | Grants-in-aids | Federal funds provided to state and localities for projects(like airports, highways, etc...) | |
| 61983251 | Great Compromise | Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house. | |
| 61983252 | Environmental impact statement | A report required by federal law that assesses the possible effect of a project on the environment if the project is subsidized in whole or part by federal funds | |
| 61983253 | Equality of opportunity | a view that it is wrong to use race or sex either to discriminate or give special treatment to minorities or women | |
| 61983254 | Equal time rule | an FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates. | |
| 61983255 | Establishment clause | a clause in the first amendment to the constitution stating that congress shall make no law "respecting an establishment of religion" | |
| 61983256 | Exclusionary rule | A rule that holds that evidence gathered in violation of the Constitution cannot be used in a trial | |
| 61983257 | ex post facto law | A law that makes criminal an act that was legal when it was committed, increases the penalty, or that chanfes the rules of evidence to make conviction easier | |
| 61983258 | external efficacy | a belief that the syystem will respond to a citizens demands | |
| 62194137 | activists | individuals, usually outside of government, who actively promote a political party, philosophy, or issue they care about | |
| 62194138 | ad hoc structure | a method of organizing a president's staff in with several rask forces, committtees, and informal groups of friends and advisers deal directly with the president | |
| 62194139 | adversarial press | a national press that is suspicious of officialdom and eager to break an embarrassing story about a public official | |
| 62194140 | affirmative action | the requirement that an organization take positive steps to increasethe number or proportion of women | |
| 62194141 | amendments | changes or additions to the Constitution | |
| 62194142 | amicus curiae | an interest group or individual, not directly involved in a suit, who may file legal briefs or make oral arguments in support of one side | |
| 62194143 | antifederalists | opponents of a strong central government who campaigned against ratification of the Constitution in favor of a confederation of largely independent states | |
| 62194144 | appropriation | a legislative grant of money to finance a government program | |
| 62194145 | Assistance program | a government program financed by general income taxes that provides benefits to poor citizens without requiring contributions from them | |
| 62194146 | Australian ballot | a government-printed ballot of unitform size and shape to be cast in secret that was adopted by many states around 189- in order to reduce the voting fraud associated with part-printed ballots cast in public | |
| 62194147 | authority | the right to use power | |
| 62194148 | authorization legislation | legislative permission to begin or continue a government program or agency | |
| 62200661 | bill of attainder | a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guily of a crime | |
| 62200662 | bill of rights | a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press | |
| 62200663 | blanket primary | a primary election that permits all voters, regarless of party to choose candidates. A Dem voter can vote for both dems and repubs | |
| 62200664 | block grants | grants of money from the federal govermment to states for programs in certain general areas rather than for specific kinds of programs | |
| 62200665 | brief | a legal document prepared by an attorney representing a party before a court. the document sets the facts for the case, summarizes the law, and discusses other relevent cases | |
| 62200666 | budget | a document that announces how much the government will collect in taxes and spend in revenues and how those expenditures will be allocated among various programs | |
| 62200667 | budget deficit | a situation in which the government spends more money than it takes in from taxes and fees | |
| 62200668 | budget surplus | a situation in which the government takes in more money than it spends | |
| 62246908 | bureaucracy | a large complex organization of departments and agencies composed of appointed officials | |
| 62246909 | bureaucrats | the appointed officials who operate government agencies from day to day | |
| 62310860 | categorical grant | federal grants for specific purposes defined by federal law, usually require the state or locality to put up money to "match" some part of the federal grants though the amount of matching funds can be quite small | |
| 62310861 | congressional caucus | an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest | |
| 62310862 | checks and balances | the power of the legislature, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches | |
| 62310863 | circular structure | A method of organizing a president's staff in which several presidential assistants report directly to the president | |
| 62310864 | civic duty | a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs | |
| 62310865 | civil rights | the rights of citizens to vote, to receive equal treatment before the law, and to share equally with other citizens the benefits of public facilities | |
| 62310866 | class-action suit | a case brought into court by a person on behalf of not only himself or herself but all other persons in the country under similar circumstaces | |
| 62310867 | closed primary | Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote. | |
| 62310868 | closed rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor | |
| 62310869 | cloture rule | a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate | |
| 62310870 | coalition | an alliance between different interest groups or parties to achieve some political goal | |
| 62310871 | coattails | the tendency of lesser-known or weaker candidates to profit in an election by the presence on the ticket of a more popular candidate | |
| 62310872 | committee clearance | the ability of a congressional committee to review and approve certain agency decisions in advance and without passing a law. | |
| 62310873 | competitive service | the government offices to which people are appointed on the basis of merit, as ascertained by a written exam or by applying certain selection criteria | |
| 62310874 | concurrent resolution | an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president | |
| 62310875 | concurring opinion | a Supreme Court opinion by one or more justices who agree with the majority's conclusion but for different reasons | |
| 62310876 | 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. | |
| 62310877 | Congressional campaign committee | a party committee in Congress that provides funds to members who are running for reelection or to would-be members running for an open seat or challenging a candidate from the opposing party | |
| 62310878 | conservative | a person who favors more limited and local government, less government regulation of markets, more social conformity to traditional norms and values, and tougher policies toward criminals | |
| 62310879 | conservative coalition | an alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats | |
| 62310880 | Constitutional court | a federal court exercising the judicial powers found in Article 3 of the Constitution and whose judges are given constitutional protection | |
| 62310881 | courts of appeals | The federal courts that have the authority to review decisions by federal district courts, regulatory commissions, and certain other federal courts. Such courts have no original jurisdiction; they can hear only appeals. | |
| 62310882 | realigning periods | periods during which a sharp lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties. The issues separating the two parties change | |
| 62310883 | political cue | a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda | |
| 62336871 | de jure segregation | segregation that is imposed by law | |
| 62336872 | democracy | a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly | |
| 62336873 | descriptive representation | a correspondence between the demographic characteristics of representatives and those of their constituents | |
| 62336874 | devolution | the current effort to scale back the size and activities of the national government and to shift responsibilit for a wide range of domestic programs from Washington to the states | |
| 62336875 | direct democracy | a political system in which all or most citizens participate directly by either holding office or making policy | |
| 62336876 | discharge petition | a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor | |
| 62336877 | discretionary authority | the extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose coarses of action and make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws | |
| 62336878 | dissenting opinion | an opinion that disagrees with the court's disposition of the case | |
| 62336879 | diversity cases | cases involving citizens of different states over which the federal courts have jurisdiction as described in the Constitution | |
| 62336880 | divided government | One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress | |
| 62336881 | division vote | a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted | |
| 62336882 | dual federalism | A constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce. | |
| 62336883 | due-process clause | protection against arbitrary deprivation of life, liberty, or property as guaranteed in the 5th and 14th amendment | |
| 62336884 | federalism | A type of political system in which power is divided between a central or federal legislature and a number of state or provincial legislatures. | |
| 62336885 | Federalists | supporters of the stronger central government who advocated the ratification of the new constitution | |
| 62336886 | federal question cases | Cases concerning the Constitution, federal laws, or treaties. | |
| 62336887 | filibuster | an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, which prevents the Senate from taking action on it | |
| 62336888 | franking privileges | the ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge | |
| 62336889 | ideological interest group | An organization that attracts members by appealing to their interests on a coherent set of controversial principles. | |
| 62336890 | ideological party | a party that values principled stands on issues above all else, including winning. | |
| 62336891 | impeachment | a formal accusation against a public official by the lower house of a legislative body. An accusation - not a conviction! | |
| 62336892 | incentive | a valued benefit obtained by joining a political organization | |
| 62336893 | incumbent | a person who is still in office | |
| 62336894 | initiative | a procedure allowing voters to submit a proposed law to a popular vote by obtaining a required number of signatures | |
| 62336895 | interest groups | an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy | |
| 62336896 | iron triangle | a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group that often becomes a mutually advantageous alliance | |
| 62336897 | issue network | a network of people in Washington D.C based interest groups, on congressional staffs, in universities and think tanks, and in the mass media, who regularly discuss and advocate public policies | |
| 62336898 | Majoritarian politics | a politics of policy-making in which almost everybody benefits from a policy and almost everybody pays for it | |
| 62336899 | majority-minority districts | congressional districts designed to make it easier for citizens of minorities to elect representatives | |
| 62336900 | malapportionment | drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population | |
| 62336901 | mandates | rules imposed by the federal government on the states as conditions for obtaining federal grants or requirements that the states pay the costs of certain nationally defined programs | |
| 62336902 | 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 | |
| 62336903 | material incentives | Benefits that have a monetary value, including money, gifts, services, or discounts received as a result of one's membership in an organization | |
| 62336904 | motor-voter bill | a law requiring sates to allow voter registration by mail, which someone gets a drivers license, and in state offices for the disabled | |
| 62336905 | multiple referral | A congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several committees that consider it simultaneously in whole or in part | |
| 62336906 | party polarization | a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators | |
| 62336907 | pluralist | a theory that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy |
