Chapter 3: American Federalism

Question 1

bill of attainder

Answer 1

a legislative action declaring someone guilty without a trial; prohibited under the Constitution

Question 2

block grant

Answer 2

a type of grant that comes with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more latitude over how to spend grant funds

Question 3

categorical grant

Answer 3

a federal transfer formulated to limit recipients’ discretion in the use of funds and subject them to strict administrative criteria

Question 4

concurrent powers

Answer 4

shared state and federal powers that range from taxing, borrowing, and making and enforcing laws to establishing court systems

Question 5

cooperative federalism

Answer 5

a style of federalism in which both levels of government coordinate their actions to solve national problems, leading to the blending of layers as in a marble cake

Question 6

creeping categorization

Answer 6

a process in which the national government attaches new administrative requirements to block grants or supplants them with new categorical grants

Question 7

devolution

Answer 7

a process in which powers from the central government in a unitary system are delegated to subnational units

Question 8

dual federalism

Answer 8

a style of federalism in which the states and national government exercise exclusive authority in distinctly delineated spheres of jurisdiction, creating a layer-cake view of federalism

Question 9

elastic clause

Answer 9

the last clause of Article I, Section 8, which enables the national government “to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying” out all its constitutional responsibilities

Question 10

ex post facto law

Answer 10

a law that criminalizes an act retroactively; prohibited under the Constitution

Question 11

federalism

Answer 11

an institutional arrangement that creates two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on the people with authority granted by the national constitution

Question 12

full faith and credit clause

Answer 12

found in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution, this clause requires states to accept court decisions, public acts, and contracts of other states; also referred to as the comity provision

Question 13

general revenue sharing

Answer 13

a type of federal grant that places minimal restrictions on how state and local governments spend the money

Question 14

immigration federalism

Answer 14

the gradual movement of states into the immigration policy domain traditionally handled by the federal government

Question 15

new federalism

Answer 15

a style of federalism premised on the idea that the decentralization of policies enhances administrative efficiency, reduces overall public spending, and improves outcomes

Question 16

nullification

Answer 16

a doctrine promoted by John Calhoun of South Carolina in the 1830s, asserting that if a state deems a federal law unconstitutional, it can nullify it within its borders

Question 17

privileges and immunities clause

Answer 17

found in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, this clause prohibits states from discriminating against out-of-staters by denying such guarantees as access to courts, legal protection, and property and travel rights

Question 18

race-to-the-bottom

Answer 18

a dynamic in which states compete to attract business by lowering taxes and regulations, often to workers’ detriment

Question 19

unfunded mandates

Answer 19

federal laws and regulations that impose obligations on state and local governments without fully compensating them for the costs of implementation

Question 20

unitary system

Answer 20

a centralized system of government in which the subnational government is dependent on the central government, where substantial authority is concentrated

Question 21

venue shopping

Answer 21

a strategy in which interest groups select the level and branch of government they calculate will be most receptive to their policy goals

Question 22

writ of habeas corpus

Answer 22

a petition that enables someone in custody to petition a judge to determine whether that person’s detention is legal