Final - Terms Flashcards
scope of conflict
The number of groups involved in a political conflict; few groups means a narrow scope of conflict and many groups mean a wide scope of conflict
mass mobilization
The process of involving large numbers of people in a social movement
civil disobedience
Intentionally breaking a law and accepting the consequences as a way to publicize the unjustness of the law.
prior restraint
The government’s power to prevent publications, as opposed to punishment afterward
exclusionary rule
A standard promulgated by the Supreme Court that prevents police and prosecutors from using evidence against a defendant that was obtained in an illegal search.
political efficacy
The sense that an individual can affect what government does
affirmative action
Programs of private and public institutions favoring minorities and women in hiring and in admissions to college and universities in an attempt to compensate for past discrimination
ordinary scrutinary
The assumption that the actions of elected bodies and officials are legal under the constitution
privileges and immunities
The portion of Article IV, Section 2, of the constitution that states that citizens from out of state have the same legal rights as local citizens in any state
selective incorporation
The gradual and piecemeal incorporation of the protections of the Bill of Rights by the US Supreme court.
strict scrutiny
The assumption that actions by elected bodies or officials violate constitutional rights.
due process clause
The section of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from depriving anyone from of life liberty, or property “without due process of law” a guarantee against arbitrary or unfair government action
economic liberty
The right to own and use property free from excessive government interference.
civil liberties
Freedoms found primarily in the Bill of Rights that are protected from government interference
habeas corpus
The legal doctrine that a person who is arrested mist have a timely hearing before a judge
ex post facto law
A law that retroactively declares some action illegal.
civil rights
Guarantees by government of equal citizenship to all social groups; guarantees of equal treatment by government officials regarding political rights, the judicial system and public programs.
suspect classification
The invidious arbitrary or irrational designation of a group for special treatment by government.
intermediate scrutiny
A legal test falling between ordinary and strict scrutiny relevant to issues of gender; under this test, the Supreme Court will allow gender classifications in laws if they are substantially related to an important government objective.
Political Party
An organization that tries to win control of the government by electing people to office who carry the party label
Establishment clause
The part of the First Amendment to the constitution that prohibits congress from establishing an official religion; the basis for the doctrine of the separation of church and state.
interest group
A private voluntary association that seeks to influence public policy as a way to protect or advance some interest.
disturbance theory
A theory that locates the origins of interest groups in changes in the economic, social, or political environment that threaten the well-being of some segment of the population.
relative deprivation
the experience of being deprived of something to which one believes to be entitled. It refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to others and realize that they have less of what they believe themselves to be entitled than those around them.
