Terms Flashcards
Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.
committee chair
the head of the party with the second highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.
minority leader
a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.
whip
efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.
oversight
Trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation
logrolling
the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.
senate majority leader
the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.
house majority leader
the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.
speaker of the house
Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states
Pork Barrel Spending
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.
Gerrymandering
states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.
redistricting
drawing district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.
Partisan gerrymandering
a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district.
majority-minority district
the uneven distribution of the population between legislative districts.
malapportionment
a political official who is currently in office.
incumbent
a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.
constituency
the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data
apportionment
institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.
incumbent advantage
an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.
political action committee (PAC)
a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.
discharge petition
a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.
House Rules Committee
consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.
Committee of the Whole
a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill
hold
an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.
unanimous consent agreement
a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.
filibuster
a procedure through which senators can end a filibuster and proceed to action, provided threefifths of senators agree to it.
cloture
formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress.
veto
the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income.
entitlement program
spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget.
mandatory spending
spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president.
discretionary spending
the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more money than it spends.
budget surplus
the difference when a government takes in less money than it spends.
budget deficit
the total amount of money owed by the federal government.
national debt
the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituent wishes.
delegate role
the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment.
trustee role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions.
politico role
agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation.
bipartisanship
a slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship.
gridlock
a situation that occurs when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is split between the two major parties.
divided government
period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees.
lame duck period
the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch.
executive branch
powers of the president expressly granted in the Constitution.
formal or enumerated power
powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties.
informal powers
an agreement with a foreign government negotiated by the president and requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate to ratify.
treaty
the annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs.
State of the Union Address
an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session.
pocket veto
presidential authority to forgive an individual and set aside punishment for a crime.
presidential pardon
a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress.
executive privilege
an agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability in the American system as a treaty but does not require Senate ratification.
executive agreement
text issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself.
signing statement
policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.
executive order
a law passed over President Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than sixty days without congressional authorization.
war power resolution
the process of removing a president from office, with articles of impeachment issued by a majority vote in the House of Representatives, followed by a trial in the Senate, with a two-thirds vote necessary to convict and remove.
impeachment
a collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president.
Executive Office of the President
an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his or her policy initiatives.
bargaining and persuasion
presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies.
bully pulpit
a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president’s policy goals.
going public
The branch of the federal government that interprets the laws of the nation.
Federal Judiciary
the highest level of the federal judiciary, which was established in Article III of the Constitution and serves as the highest court in the nation.
Supreme court
the authority of a court to hear a case first, which includes the finding of facts in the case.
Original jurisdiction
the authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by lower courts in that system.
appellate jurisdiction
argument by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches.
Federalist No. 78
a Supreme Court decision that established judicial review over federal laws.
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
the authority of the Supreme Court to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the Constitution.
judicial review
a category of law covering actions that harm the community itself.
Criminal law
a category of law covering cases involving private rights and relationships between individuals and groups.
Civil Law
the lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the federal level.
federal district courts
the middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.
federal courts of appeals
a judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases.
precedent
the practice of letting a previous legal decision stand.
stare decisis
a binding Supreme Court opinion, which serves as precedent for future cases.
majority opinion
an opinion that agrees with the majority decision, offering different or additional reasoning that does not serve as precedent.
concurring opinion
an opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent.
dissenting opinion
a philosophy of constitutional interpretation that asserts justices should be cautious in overturning laws
judicial restraint
a philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies.
judicial activism
