15 Flashcards
lobbying
Attempting to persuade government officials through direct contact via persuasion and the provision of material benefits; also known as the inside game.
logrolling
A practice in Congress where two or more members agree to support each other’s bills.
loophole
A part of a tax code that allows individuals or businesses to reduce their tax burden.
loose constructionism
A judicial philosophy that believes the Constitution should be interpreted in an open way, not limited to things explicitly stated.
machine
A very strong party organization that turns favors and patronage into votes.
Madisonian Model
A structure of government proposed by James Madison that avoided tyranny by separating power among different branches and building checks and balances into the Constitution.
majority leader
(1) In the House, the second-ranking member of the majority party; (2) in the Senate, the highest-ranking member of the majority party.
majority opinion
A court opinion that reflects the reasoning of the majority of justices.
majority party
In a legislative body, the party with more than half of the seats.
majority rule
The idea that the government should act in accordance with the will of the majority of people.
malapportionment
An apportionment of seats in Congress that is unfair due to population shifts.
mandate
When the federal government requires states to do certain things.
mandatory retirement
An employment policy that states that when an employee reaches a certain age, he or she must retire.
marble-cake federalism
A term used to describe federalism for most of the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first), where the federal government and the states work closely together and are intertwined; also known as cooperative federalism.
markup
When a Congressional committee revises a bill in session.
