Terms : Hide Images
| 9619693860 | grants-in-aid | money given by the national government to the states | 0 | |
| 9619693200 | Democracy | a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences. | 1 | |
| 9619693201 | Elite and class theory | argues that society is divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite rules on the basis of its wealth. | 2 | |
| 9619693202 | Government | institutions that make public policy for a society. | 3 | |
| 9619693203 | Gross domestic product | the total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States. | 4 | |
| 9619693204 | Hyperpluralism | argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government's ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority. | 5 | |
| 9619693205 | Linkage institutions | institutions such as parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, which provide a linkage between the preferences of citizens and the government's policy agenda. | 6 | |
| 9619693206 | Majority rule | weighing the desires of the majority in choosing among policy alternatives. | 7 | |
| 9619693208 | Pluralist theory | argues that there are many centers of influence in which groups compete with one another for control over public policy through bargaining and compromise. | 8 | |
| 9619693209 | Policy agenda | the list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside government are paying serious attention at any given time. | 9 | |
| 9619693212 | Policymaking institutions | institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the courts established by the Constitution to make policy. | 10 | |
| 9619693214 | Political culture | an overall set of values widely shared within a society. | 11 | |
| 9619693215 | Political issue | this arises when people disagree about a problem or about public policy choices made to combat a problem. | 12 | |
| 9619693216 | Political participation | the ways in which people get involved in politics. | 13 | |
| 9619693217 | Politics | determines whom we select as our government leaders and what policies they pursue; in other words, who gets what, when, and how. | 14 | |
| 9619693219 | Public policy | a choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda. | 15 | |
| 9619693220 | Representation | the relationship between the leaders and the followers. | 16 | |
| 9619693221 | Single-issue groups | groups so concerned with one matter that their members cast their votes on the basis of that issue only. | 17 | |
| 9619693223 | Anti-Federalists | opposed the new Constitution, feared the new Constitution would erode fundamental liberties, and argued that the new Constitution was a class-based document serving the economic elite. | 18 | |
| 9619693224 | Articles of Confederation | the document that outlined the voluntary agreement between states and was adopted as the first plan for a permanent union of the United States. | 19 | |
| 9619693225 | Bill of Rights | the first ten Amendments to the Constitution passed after ratification specifically protecting individual liberties to fulfill promises made by the Federalists to the Anti-Federalists in return for their support. | 20 | |
| 9619693226 | Checks and balances | each branch requires the consent of the others for many of its decisions. | 21 | |
| 9619693227 | Connecticut Compromise | the plan adopted at the Constitutional Convention to provide for two chambers in Congress, one representing states equally and the other representing states on the basis of their share of the population. | 22 | |
| 9619693229 | Constitution | a nation's basic law creating institutions, dividing power, and providing guarantees to citizens. | 23 | |
| 9619693230 | Declaration of Independence | the document used by the signers to announce and justify the Revolutionary War and which was specifically designed to enlist the aid of foreign nations in the revolt. | 24 | |
| 9619693231 | Equal Rights Amendment | was first proposed in 1923, passed by Congress in 1972, but was not ratified by three-fourths of the states; this amendment mandated equality of rights under the law regardless of gender. | 25 | |
| 9619693232 | Factions | groups of people, currently known as political parties or interest groups, who arise as a result of unequal distribution of wealth to seize the reins of government in their own interest. | 26 | |
| 9619693233 | Federalist Papers | articles written to convince others to support the new constitution. | 27 | |
| 9619693234 | Federalists | argued for ratification of the Constitution by writing the Federalist Papers; included Madison, Hamilton, and Jay. | 28 | |
| 9619693235 | Judicial review | the courts have the power to decide whether the actions of the legislative and executive branches of state and national governments are in accordance with the Constitution. | 29 | |
| 9619693236 | Limited government | clear restrictions on what rulers could do; this safeguards natural rights. | 30 | |
| 9619693237 | Marbury v. Madison | Judicial review was established in this 1803 Supreme Court case. | 31 | |
| 9619693238 | Natural rights | these are rights to which people are entitled by natural law, including life, liberty, and property. | 32 | |
| 9619693239 | New Jersey Plan | a plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to provide each state with equal representation in Congress. | 33 | |
| 9619693240 | Republic | a system based on the consent of the governed where power is exercised by representatives of the public. | 34 | |
| 9619693241 | Separation of powers | each branch of government would be independent of the others. | 35 | |
| 9619693243 | U.S. Constitution | the document where the foundations of U.S. government are written, providing for national institutions that each have separate but not absolute powers. | 36 | |
| 9619693244 | Virginia Plan | a plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to provide each state with a share of congressional seats based on its share of the population. | 37 | |
| 9619693245 | Writ of habeas corpus | this enables people who are detained by authorities to secure an immediate inquiry and reasons why they have been detained. | 38 | |
| 9619693247 | Block grants | broad program grants given more or less automatically to states and communities, which exercise discretion in how the money is spent. | 39 | |
| 9619693248 | Categorical grants | grants that can be used only for specific purposes or categories of state and local spending. | 40 | |
| 9619693249 | Cooperative federalism | where state and the national government responsibilities are mingled and blurred like a marble cake; powers and policies are shared. | 41 | |
| 9619693250 | Devolution | transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments. | 42 | |
| 9619693251 | Dual federalism | where states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres of power, much like a layer cake. | 43 | |
| 9619693252 | Elastic clause | the statement in the Constitution which says that Congress has the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out its duties. | 44 | |
| 9619693253 | Enumerated powers | powers of Congress found in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. | 45 | |
| 9619693254 | Extradition | the Constitution requires each state to return a person charged with a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment. | 46 | |
| 9619693255 | Federalism | a system of shared power between two or more levels of government. | 47 | |
| 9619693256 | Fiscal federalism | the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system. | 48 | |
| 9619693258 | Full faith and credit | Article IV of the Constitution requires states to provide reciprocity toward other states' public acts, records, and civil judicial proceedings. | 49 | |
| 9619693259 | Gibbons v. Ogden | the 1824 Supreme Court case which further expanded Congress' power to regulate interstate and international commerce by defining commerce very broadly to incorporate every form of commercial activity. | 50 | |
| 9619693260 | Implied powers | powers beyond Congress' enumerated powers which ensure that it can carry out its duties. | 51 | |
| 9619693262 | McCulloch v. Maryland | the 1819 Supreme Court case, which established the supremacy of the national government over the states, included both enumerated and implied powers of Congress. | 52 | |
| 9619693263 | Privileges and immunities | the Constitution prohibits states from discriminating against citizens of other states. | 53 | |
| 9619693265 | Supremacy clause | Article VI of the Constitution states that the supreme law of the land is the Constitution, the laws of the national government, and treaties. | 54 | |
| 9619693266 | Tenth Amendment | specifies that powers not delegated to the national government are reserved for the state government or the people. | 55 | |
| 9619693269 | Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the Constitution. | 56 | |
| 9619693270 | Civil Liberties | legal and constitutional protections against government infringement of political liberties and criminal rights. | 57 | |
| 9619693271 | Commercial Speech | communication in the form of advertising. | 58 | |
| 9619693272 | Cruel and unusual punishment | Eighth Amendment prohibits such punishment. | 59 | |
| 9619693273 | Eighth Amendment | forbids cruel and unusual punishment, although it does not define this phrase. | 60 | |
| 9619693274 | Establishment clause | First Amendment prohibits government from establishing a religion; is the basis for separation of church and state. | 61 | |
| 9619693275 | Exclusionary rule | prohibits government from including illegally obtained evidence in a trial. | 62 | |
| 9619693276 | Fifth Amendment | prohibits government from forcing individuals to testify against themselves. | 63 | |
| 9619693277 | First Amendment | establishes freedom of religion, press, speech, and assembly. | 64 | |
| 9619693278 | Fourteenth Amendment | prohibits states from denying equal protection of the laws. | 65 | |
| 9619693279 | Free exercise clause | government is prohibited in the First Amendment from interfering in the practice of religion. | 66 | |
| 9619693280 | Incorporation Doctrine | legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. | 67 | |
| 9619693281 | Libel | publication of false or malicious statements that damage someone's reputation. | 68 | |
| 9619693282 | Plea bargaining | an actual bargain struck between the defendant's lawyer and the prosecutor to the effect that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser crime (or fewer crimes) in exchange for the state's promise not to prosecute the defendant for a more serious (or additional) crime. | 69 | |
| 9619693283 | Prior restraint | government instrument to prevent material from being published. | 70 | |
| 9619693284 | Probable cause | police must have a good reason to arrest someone. | 71 | |
| 9619693285 | Right to privacy | a contrived right from unstated liberties in the Bill of Rights. | 72 | |
| 9619693286 | Search warrant | written authorization from a court specifying the area to be searched and what the police are searching for. | 73 | |
| 9619693287 | Self-incrimination | testifying against oneself. | 74 | |
| 9619693288 | Sixth Amendment | designed to protect individuals accused of crimes; includes the right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to a speedy and public trial. | 75 | |
| 9619693289 | Symbolic Speech | political actions instead of words. | 76 | |
| 9619693290 | Unreasonable searches and seizures | obtaining evidence without a good reason. | 77 | |
| 9619693292 | Affirmative action | a policy designed to give special consideration to those previously discriminated against. | 78 | |
| 9619693293 | Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 | strengthened protections of individuals with disabilities by requiring employers and public facilities to make "reasonable accommodations" and prohibiting employment discrimination against people with disabilities. | 79 | |
| 9619693294 | Civil rights | extending citizenship rights to participate to those previously denied them. | 80 | |
| 9619693295 | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | forbids discrimination in public accommodations and facilities. | 81 | |
| 9619693297 | Equal protection of the laws | provided by the Fourteenth Amendment mandating that all people be protected by the law. | 82 | |
| 9619693298 | Equal Rights Amendment | proposal that equality of rights under the law not be denied on the account of sex. | 83 | |
| 9619693299 | Fifteenth Amendment | provides the right to vote for Blacks. | 84 | |
| 9619693300 | Fourteenth Amendment | prohibits states from denying equal protection of the laws. | 85 | |
| 9619693301 | Nineteenth Amendment | provides women with the right to vote. | 86 | |
| 9619693302 | Poll Taxes | taxes levied on the right to vote designed to hurt poor Blacks. | 87 | |
| 9619693303 | Suffrage | the legal right to vote. | 88 | |
| 9619693304 | Thirteenth Amendment | abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. | 89 | |
| 9619693305 | Twenty-fourth Amendment | prohibited poll taxes in federal elections. | 90 | |
| 9619693306 | Voting Rights Act of 1965 | a policy designed to reduce the barriers to voting for those suffering discrimination. | 91 | |
| 9619693307 | White Primary | practice where only Whites could vote in primaries. | 92 | |
| 9619693309 | Census | a count of the American population conducted every ten years. | 93 | |
| 9619693310 | Civil disobedience | a form of unconventional participation designed to consciously break a law thought to be unjust. | 94 | |
| 9619693311 | Demography | the science of human populations. | 95 | |
| 9619693312 | Exit poll | a poll taken at randomly selected polling places after the citizens have placed their votes. | 96 | |
| 9619693313 | Gender gap | a consistent attitudinal pattern where women are more likely than men to express liberal attitudes and to support Democratic candidates. | 97 | |
| 9619693314 | Melting pot | the mixture of cultures, ideas, and peoples in the United States. | 98 | |
| 9619693317 | Political ideology | a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy. | 99 | |
| 9619693318 | Political participation | the activities used by citizens to influence political outcomes. | 100 | |
| 9619693319 | Political socialization | the process by which citizens acquire their knowledge, feelings, and evaluations of the political world. | 101 | |
| 9619693320 | Protest | a form of political participation designed to change policy through unconventional tactics. | 102 | |
| 9619693321 | Public opinion | the distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and issues. | 103 | |
| 9619693323 | Random sampling | a polling technique which is based on the principle that everyone has an equal probability of being selected as part of the sample. | 104 | |
| 9619693324 | Reapportionment | the reallocation of 435 seats in the House of Representatives based on changes in residency and population found in the census. | 105 | |
| 9619693325 | Sample | a small proportion of the population chosen as representative of the whole population. | 106 | |
| 9619693326 | Sampling error | the level of confidence involved in a sample result—the level is dependent on the size of the sample. | 107 | |
| 9619693329 | Broadcast media | one of two kinds of media, includes television and radio. | 108 | |
| 9619693330 | Chains | media conglomerates that control a large percentage of daily newspaper circulation and some television and radio stations as well. | 109 | |
| 9619693331 | High-tech politics | politics where technology has shaped political behavior and the political agenda. | 110 | |
| 9619693332 | Investigative journalism | the use of detective-like reporting methods to unearth scandals. | 111 | |
| 9619693333 | Mass media | media which reaches and influences both elites and the masses. | 112 | |
| 9619693334 | Media event | an event staged primarily for the purpose of being covered. | 113 | |
| 9619693338 | Press conferences | presidential meetings with the press. | 114 | |
| 9619693339 | Print media | one of two kinds of media, includes newspapers and magazines. | 115 | |
| 9619693340 | Sound bites | a portion of a speech aired on TV of fifteen seconds or less. | 116 | |
| 9619693345 | Coalition | a set of individuals and groups supporting a political party. | 117 | |
| 9619693347 | Closed primaries | nomination contests where only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote. | 118 | |
| 9619693352 | National convention | the supreme power within each party, which meets every four years, writes the party platform, and nominates candidates for president and vice president. | 119 | |
| 9619693354 | Open primaries | nomination contests where voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contest. | 120 | |
| 9619693355 | Party competition | the battle between the two dominant parties in the American system. | 121 | |
| 9619693356 | Party dealignment | when voters move away from both parties. | 122 | |
| 9619693358 | Party identification | the self-proclaimed preference for one or the other party. | 123 | |
| 9619693361 | Party realignment | process whereby the major political parties form new support coalitions that endure for a long period. | 124 | |
| 9619693363 | Political party | a team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election. | 125 | |
| 9619693364 | Proportional representation | an electoral system where legislative seats are allocated on the basis of each party's percentage of the national vote. | 126 | |
| 9619693367 | Third parties | minor parties which either promote narrow ideological issues or are splinter groups from the major parties. | 127 | |
| 9619693368 | Ticket-splitting | voting with one party for one office and another for other offices. | 128 | |
| 9619693369 | Winner-take-all system | an electoral system where whoever gets the most votes wins the election. | 129 | |
| 9619693371 | Campaign strategy | the way candidates use scarce resources to achieve the nomination or win office. | 130 | |
| 9619693372 | Caucus | a meeting to determine which candidate delegates from a state party will support. | 131 | |
| 9619693373 | Direct mail | the use of targeted mailings to prospective supporters, usually compiled from lists of those who have contributed to candidates and parties in the past. | 132 | |
| 9619693374 | Federal Election Campaign Act | 1974 legislation designed to regulate campaign contributions and limit campaign expenditures. | 133 | |
| 9619693375 | Federal Election Commission (FEC) | a bipartisan body charged with administering campaign finance laws. | 134 | |
| 9619693376 | Frontloading | states' decisions to move their presidential primaries and caucuses to earlier in the nomination season in order to capitalize on media attention. | 135 | |
| 9619693380 | National party convention | a meeting of the delegates from each state to determine the party's nominee for president. | 136 | |
| 9619693382 | Nomination | a party's official endorsement of a candidate for office. | 137 | |
| 9619693383 | Party platform | the party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. | 138 | |
| 9619693384 | Political Action Committee (PAC) | a legal entity formed expressly for the purpose of contributing money to candidates and influencing electoral outcomes. | 139 | |
| 9619693385 | Presidential Election Campaign Fund | money from the $3 federal income tax check-off goes into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns. | 140 | |
| 9619693386 | Presidential primaries | a state-level election to determine which candidate the state's delegates will support. | 141 | |
| 9619693388 | Selective perception | the act of paying the most attention to things that one already agrees with or has a predisposition towards. | 142 | |
| 9619693389 | Soft money | money raised by political parties for voter registration drives and the distribution of campaign material at the grass roots level, now banned at the national level. | 143 | |
| 9619693390 | Superdelegates | delegates to the Democratic Party's national convention who obtain their seats on the basis of their positions within the party structure. | 144 | |
| 9619693391 | 527 groups | independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly advocate the election of a particular candidate. | 145 | |
| 9619693393 | Civic duty | a belief in the obligation to vote. | 146 | |
| 9619693394 | Electoral college | the institution designated in the Constitution whereby a body of electors selects the president and vice president. | 147 | |
| 9619693396 | Legitimacy | widely shared belief that a democratic government was elected fairly and freely. | 148 | |
| 9619693398 | Motor Voter Act | this legislation requires states to let people register to vote at the same time they apply for a driver's license. | 149 | |
| 9619693399 | Policy voting | occurs when people base their choices on how close a candidate's issues positions are to their own issue preferences. | 150 | |
| 9619693400 | Political efficacy | the belief that ordinary people can influence government. | 151 | |
| 9619693401 | Referendum | direct democracy technique that allows citizens to approve or disapprove some legislative act, bond, issue, or constitutional amendment proposed by a state legislature. | 152 | |
| 9619693402 | Retrospective voting | voting theory that suggests that individuals who feel that they are better off as a result of certain policies are likely to support candidates who pledge to continue those policies, and those who feel worse off are inclined to support opposition candidates. | 153 | |
| 9619693404 | Voter registration | a requirement that citizens register to vote before the election is held. | 154 | |
| 9619693407 | Amicus curiae briefs | "friend of the court" briefs filed by interest groups to inform the court of their position and to state how their welfare would be affected by a ruling. | 155 | |
| 9619693408 | Class action lawsuits | a technique used by interest groups which allows groups of people with similar complaints to combine their grievances into a single suit. | 156 | |
| 9619693412 | Free-rider problem | a situation where individuals let others work to secure a collective good and then enjoy the benefit without contributing anything to the group effort. | 157 | |
| 9619693414 | Interest groups | organizations where people with similar policy goals enter the political process to achieve those goals. | 158 | |
| 9619693415 | Lobbying | a communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision. | 159 | |
| 9619693427 | Bicameral legislature | a legislature that is divided into two chambers. | 160 | |
| 9619693428 | Bill | a proposed law, drafted in precise, legal language. | 161 | |
| 9619693429 | Casework | helping constituents as individuals cut through bureaucratic red tape to receive their rightful benefits. | 162 | |
| 9619693431 | Committee chairs | the most important influences on the congressional agenda; they schedule hearings, hire staff, appoint subcommittees, and manage committee bills. | 163 | |
| 9619693432 | Conference committee | a special committee formed when each chamber passes a bill in different forms, composed of members of each chamber who were appointed by each chamber's leaders to work out a compromise bill. | 164 | |
| 9619693433 | Filibuster | is unlimited debate, is unique to the Senate, and can only be ended by a vote for cloture by 60 members. | 165 | |
| 9619693434 | House Rules Committee | a committee unique to the House, which is appointed by the Speaker of the House, reviews most bills coming from a House committee for a floor vote, and which gives each bill a rule. | 166 | |
| 9619693436 | Incumbents | people who already hold office. | 167 | |
| 9619693437 | Joint committees | special committees composed of members from each chamber. | 168 | |
| 9619693439 | Majority leader | the Speaker's principal partisan ally who is responsible for soliciting support for the party's position on legislation. | 169 | |
| 9619693440 | Minority leader | is the minority party's counterpart to the majority party's leadership. | 170 | |
| 9619693442 | Select committees | appointed for a specific purpose. | 171 | |
| 9619693444 | Speaker of the House | as mandated by the Constitution, is next in line after the vice president to succeed a president who is unable to fulfill his/her term and who presides over the House. | 172 | |
| 9619693445 | Standing committees | committees formed in each chamber to handle bills in different policy areas. | 173 | |
| 9619693446 | Whip | The majority or minority leader's principle tool for securing support for legislation and who lobby partisans for support. | 174 | |
| 9619693448 | Cabinet | the group of presidential advisors who head the executive departments. | 175 | |
| 9619693451 | Impeachment | the political equivalent of an indictment for removing a discredited president. | 176 | |
| 9619693453 | National Security Council (NSC) | a committee that links the president's key foreign and military advisors. | 177 | |
| 9619693455 | Pocket veto | this occurs when Congress adjourns within 10 days after submitting a bill and the president takes no action to sign it or veto it. | 178 | |
| 9619693456 | Presidential coattails | where voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because those candidates support the president. | 179 | |
| 9619693457 | Twenty-fifth Amendment | passed in 1967, permits the vice president to become acting president in the event that the president is temporarily disabled. | 180 | |
| 9619693458 | Twenty-second Amendment | passed in 1951, limits presidents to two terms. | 181 | |
| 9619693459 | Veto | sending the legislation back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it. | 182 | |
| 9619693460 | War Powers Resolution | passed in 1973, requires presidents to consult with Congress prior to using military force and mandates the withdrawal of forces after sixty days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension. | 183 | |
| 9619693461 | Watergate | a political scandal involving President Nixon's abuse of his powers. | 184 | |
| 9619693463 | Appropriations bill | bill passed annually to fund an authorized program. | 185 | |
| 9619693465 | Budget | a policy document that allocates burdens (taxes) and benefits (expenditures). | 186 | |
| 9619693468 | Congressional Budget Office (CBO) | research agency of Congress, responsible to it for providing analyses of budget proposals, revenue forecasts, and related information. | 187 | |
| 9619693470 | Deficit | occurs when government spends more money than it receives in taxes in the fiscal year. | 188 | |
| 9619693471 | Entitlements | programs are government-sponsored programs providing mandated/guaranteed/required benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements/qualifications. | 189 | |
| 9619693472 | Expenditures | money spent by the government in any one year. | 190 | |
| 9619693473 | Federal debt | all of the money borrowed by the government over the years that is still outstanding. | 191 | |
| 9619693474 | House Ways and Means Committee | responsible for originating all revenue bills. | 192 | |
| 9619693477 | Medicare | in 1965, this program was added to Social Security to provide hospital and physician coverage to the elderly. | 193 | |
| 9619693479 | Revenues | money received by the government in any given year. | 194 | |
| 9619693481 | Sixteenth Amendment | passed in 1913, permits Congress to levy an income tax. | 195 | |
| 9619693482 | Social Security Act | passed to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans. | 196 | |
| 9619693490 | Deregulation | the withdrawal of the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. | 197 | |
| 9619693491 | Executive orders | a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law. | 198 | |
| 9619693510 | Appellate jurisdiction | given to a court where cases are heard on appeal from a lower court. | 199 | |
| 9619693512 | Courts of appeal | courts which have the power to review all final decisions of district courts, except in instances requiring direct review by the Supreme Court. | 200 | |
| 9619693513 | District courts | the entry point for most federal litigation. | 201 | |
| 9619693514 | Judicial activism | theory that judges should make bolder policy decisions to alleviate pressing needs, especially for those who are weak politically. | 202 | |
| 9619693516 | Judicial restraint | theory that judges should play minimal role in policymaking and leave policy decisions to the legislature. | 203 | |
| 9619693521 | Original intent | the theory that judges should determine the intent of the framers and decide in line with their intent. | 204 | |
| 9619693522 | Original jurisdiction | given to a court where a case is first heard. | 205 | |
| 9619693524 | Precedent | the way similar cases have been handled in the past is used as a guide to current decisions. | 206 | |
| 9619693525 | Senatorial courtesy | a tradition in which nominations for federal judicial positions are not confirmed when opposed by a senator of the president's party from the state in which the nominee is to serve or from the state of the nominee's residence. | 207 | |
| 9619693530 | Supreme Court | resolves disputes between and among states, maintains the national supremacy of law, ensures uniformity in the interpretation of national laws. | 208 | |
| 9619693531 | United States v. Nixon | 1974 Supreme Court decision that required President Nixon to turn White House tapes over to the Courts. | 209 | |
| 9619693537 | Federal Reserve System | created by Congress in 1913 to regulate the lending practices of banks and thus the money supply. | 210 | |
| 9619693538 | Fiscal policy | the government's decisions to tax, spend, and borrow, as reflected in the federal budget. | 211 | |
| 9619693547 | Monetary policy | government decisions regarding the money supply, including the discount rates for bank borrowing, reserve requirements for banks, and trading of government securities. | 212 | |
| 9619693583 | Medicaid | government program designed to provide health care for the poor. | 213 | |
| 9619693596 | Foreign policy | involves making choices about relations with the rest of the world. | 214 | |
| 9619693611 | Direct democracy | a method of policymaking in the U.S. unique to subnational governments where voters participate directly in policymaking. | 215 | |
| 9619693615 | Line-item veto | power of governors to veto only certain parts of a bill while allowing the rest to pass into law. | 216 | |
| 9619693863 | mandates | terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants | 217 | |
| 9619693877 | Grandfather Clause | Voter qualification provision in many southern states that allowed only those whose grandfathers had voted before Reconstruction could vote | 218 | |
| 9619693879 | popular sovereignty | A belief that ultimate power resides in the people. | 219 | |
| 9619693884 | Strict Scrutiny | A heightened standard of review used by the Supreme Court to determine the Constitutional validity of a challenged practice | 220 | |
| 9619693888 | Title IX | Bars educational institutions that receive federal funds from discriminating against female students | 221 | |
| 9619693899 | De Jure Discrimination | Racial segregation that is the direct result of a law or official policy |  | 222 |
| 9619693900 | De Facto Discrimination | Racial discrimination that results from practice rather than the law |  | 223 |
| 9619693915 | revolving door | Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern. | 224 | |
| 9619693932 | open primary | a primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote | 225 | |
| 9619693939 | divided government | governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress | 226 | |
| 9619693953 | margin of error | the range of percentage points in which the sample accurately reflects the population | 227 | |
| 9619693963 | midterm election | elections held midway between presidential elections | 228 | |
| 9619693967 | prospective issue voting | voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected | 229 | |
| 9619693968 | retrospective issue voting | holding incumbents, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy | 230 | |
| 9619693970 | single-member district | electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official | 231 | |
| 9619693972 | electoral college | electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates | 232 | |
| 9619693981 | Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act | largely banned party soft money, restored long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy | 233 | |
| 9619693992 | horse race | a close contrast; by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates | 234 | |
| 9619693993 | constituents | The residents of a congressional district or state. | 235 | |
| 9619693995 | 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. | 236 | |
| 9619693996 | gerrymandering | The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent. | 237 | |
| 9619693997 | 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. | 238 | |
| 9619693998 | incumbent | The current holder of elected office. | 239 | |
| 9619694000 | enumerated powers | The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution. | 240 | |
| 9619694006 | 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. | 241 | |
| 9619694007 | open rule | A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill. | 242 | |
| 9619694008 | president pro tempore | Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president. | 243 | |
| 9619694011 | cloture | A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate. | 244 | |
| 9619694016 | earmarks | Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents. | 245 | |
| 9619694020 | 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. | 246 | |
| 9619694021 | logrolling | Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators | 247 | |
| 9619694023 | discharge petition | Petition that, if signed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration | 248 | |
| 9619694024 | rider | A provision attached to a bill-to which it may or may not be related-in order to secure its passage. | 249 | |
| 9619694025 | 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. | 250 | |
| 9619694026 | override | An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber. | 251 | |
| 9619694032 | Treaty | A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two-thirds of the Senate | 252 | |
| 9619694040 | State of the Union address | The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation | 253 | |
| 9619694047 | Chief of staff | The head of the White House staff | 254 | |
| 9619694071 | writ of certiorari | currently means an order by a higher court directing a lower court to send the record in a given case for review | 255 | |
| 9619694075 | dissenting opinion | An opinion disagreeing with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling. | 256 | |
| 9619694076 | concurring opinion | An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning. | 257 |
