Unit 2 Flashcards
Pork Barrel
Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congress district
Caucus
A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.
House Rules Committee
Committee of the US house of representatives that is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the house of representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy
Standing committee
Committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas
Conference Committee
Formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Used to iron out the differences.
Select committee
A committee, as of a legislative body, that is formed to examine and report on a specific bill or issue
Legislative oversight
Congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.
Twenty-second Amendment
Ratified in 1951, this amendment limits presidents to two terms of office.
Amicus Curiae brief
Legal briefs submitted for the purpose of influencing the court’s decisions by raising additional points of view not previously stated by the formal parties
Appellate jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts to not review the factual records, only the legal issues involved
Judicial restraint
An approach to decision-making in which judges play minimal policy-making roles and defer to legislatures whenever possible.
Committee chairs
The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.
Seniority system
A simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.
Twenty-fifth Amendment
Ratified in 1967, this amendment permits the vice president to become acting president if the vice president and the president’s cabinet determine that the president is disabled, and it outlines how a recuperated president can reclaim the job.
Executive order
Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy.
Cabinet
A group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution
Office of Management and Budget
An office that prepares the president’s budget and also advises presidents on proposals from departments and agencies and helps review their proposed regulations.
Pocket veto
If Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill, the president can let a bill die by doing nothing
Legislative Veto
A vote in Congress to override a presidential decision.
Original jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial.
War Powers Resolution
Requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension.
Incumbents
Those individuals who already hold office
Minority leader
The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.
Stare decisis
A Latin phrase meaning “let the decision stand.” Most cases reaching appellate courts are settled on this principle.
Senatorial courtesy
Nomination for state-level federal judges will not be confirmed if a senator sharing the president’s party is opposed.
Precedent
How similar cases have been decided in the past.
Originalism
A view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original intentions or original meaning of the Framers.
Supreme Courts
The pinnacle of the American judicial system. The court ensures uniformity in interpreting national laws, resolves conflicts among the states, and maintains national supremacy and laws. It has both original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction
Opinion
A statement of legal reasoning behind a judicial decision. The content of an opinion may be as important as the decision itself.
Judicial Review
The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and those of the executive branch or in accord with the US Constitution. Judicial review was established by Marbury v Madison
Elitism
A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization
Crisis
A sudden, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous event requiring the president to play the role of crisis manager.
Justiciable disputes
issues capable of being settled as a matter of law
District courts
The 91 federal courts of original jurisdiction. They are the only federal courts in which trials are held and in which juries may be impaneled.
