Unit 2 IDs

Question 1

incumbent

Answer 1

person who currently holds public office

Question 2

casework

Answer 2

work for a specific constituent, especially to garner public attention and thus get more votes to seek reelection

Question 3

pork barrel

Answer 3

govt. funding for projects designed to please voters or legislators to win votes

Question 4

bicameral legislature

Answer 4

type of U.S. legislature used in Congress to differentiate the two chambers

Question 5

filibuster

Answer 5

repeated yapping by a senator to stall debate

Question 6

cloture

Answer 6

a vote to end the filibuster, which needs 3/5 vote of senators (60 currently)

Question 7

whip

Answer 7

the party’s enforcers, ensuring that the party’s members are voting in accordance to what their party should believe in

Question 8

Amicus Curiae

Answer 8

A friend of the court

Question 9

Caucus (as it relates to Congress not elections)

Answer 9

a group of congressmen who have shared values, ideologies, or views form this institution. they come together to pursue shared goals

Question 10

District Courts

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

House Ways and Means Committee

Answer 11

Standing committee of the House of Representatives that considers all taxing-related legislation

Question 12

Senate Judiciary Committee

Answer 12

Standing committee of the Senate that oversees the Department of Justice, considers executive and judicial appointments, and review pending legislation

Question 13

Courts of Appeals

Answer 13

Appellate courts empowered to reviewall final decisions of district courts, except in rare cases.

Question 14

Seniority Courtesy

Answer 14

An unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts are usually not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator of the president’s party from the state in which
the nominee will serve.

Question 15

Models of representation: 1) delegate, 2) trustee, 3) politico

Answer 15

1) delegate: rep acting as a ‘delegate’ for the constituents, and voting as it represents their constituents and their constituents’ values and views
2) trustee: rep acting as a trustee for the constituents, and voting as it relates to their own views and values, NOT just what constituents believe in
3) politico: a mix of delegate and trustee

Question 16

Opinion

Answer 16

A statement of legal reasoning behind
a judicial decision.

Question 17

Solicitor General

Answer 17

A presidential appointee and the
third-ranking office in the Department
of Justice, and is in
charge of the appellate court litigation
of the federal government.

Question 18

Baker v. Carr, 1962

Answer 18

landmark SCOTUS case that ruled that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question

Question 19

Stare Decisis

Answer 19

“Let the decision stand”

Question 20

Shaw v. Reno, 1993

Answer 20

landmark SCOTUS case that ruled that gerrymandering with regards to RACE was unconstitutional

Question 21

Precedent

Answer 21

How similar cases have been decided
in the past.

Question 22

Rules Commitee

Answer 22

committees that make the rules (for what a law is, debate, and everything else); exist in both House and Senate

Question 23

Federalist #78

Answer 23

Paper written by Alexander Hamilton that argued for the establishment of federal courts.

Question 24

Standing committee

Answer 24

A permanent committee of either the House or Senate

Question 25

Conference committee

Answer 25

A joint conference between the House and the Senate to resolve the differences in a bill

Question 26

Logrolling

Answer 26

exchanging favors (especially) by the action of reciprocal voting for each other’s proposed legislation

Question 27

Civil Law

Answer 27

Involving a dispute between two parties (one of whom may be
the government itself ) over a wide range of matters including contracts, property
ownership, divorce, child custody, mergers of multinational companies, and personal and property damage

Question 28

22nd Amendment

Answer 28

established term limits on the President; no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice (two terms)

Question 29

Criminal Law

Answer 29

Involving the government charging an individual with violating specific laws, such as those prohibiting robbery.

Question 30

25th Amendment

Answer 30

describes the formal succession process of the presidency if the president dies or is incapable of holding office (physically or mentally incapable). VP –> Speaker –> Senate pro tempore –> Executive Department –> Secretaries by formation year (earliest first)

Question 31

Judicial Implementation

Answer 31

How and whether court decisions are
translated into actual policy, thereby
affecting the behavior of others.

Question 32

Bureaucracy

Answer 32

Body of non-elected governing officials that make policies and advise politicians

Question 33

Veto & pocket veto

Answer 33

veto: the explicit power of the president to reject a bill passed by the House and Senate
pocket veto: bill fails to become law since president didn’t sign it within 10 days, BUT Congress is not in session and therefore can’t return the bill

Question 34

presidential coattails

Answer 34

ability of a presidential candidate to bring out supporters who then support their political party in other offices

Question 35

Patronage

Answer 35

A system in which jobs and promotions are awarded for political reasons
rather than for merit or competence.

Question 36

Pendleton Service Act

Answer 36

Passed in 1883, an act that created federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.

Question 37

executive order

Answer 37

implied power of the president that he can issue an order that has the word of law that doesn’t require any congressional approval; check: congress can overturn it or SCOTUS can call it unconstitutional

Question 38

Civil Service

Answer 38

A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.

Question 39

Merit Principle

Answer 39

The idea that hiring should be based
on entrance exams and promotion
ratings to produce administration by
people with talent and skill.

Question 40

Hatch Act

Answer 40

A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics while on duty or for employees in sensitive positions at any time

Question 41

War Powers Resolution

Answer 41

requires president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces and prohibits armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days

Question 42

Regulation

Answer 42

The use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.

Question 43

Deregulation

Answer 43

The lifting of government restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities.

Question 44

Bully pulpit

Answer 44

the idea that the public will listen to the president because of his speaking ability and charisma

Question 45

nomination & confirmation power

Answer 45

president nominates federal judges, Cabinet secretaries, etc.; senate confirms with simple majority

Question 46

expenditures

Answer 46

federal government spending of money (revenues); most for mandatory spending

Question 47

Deficit versus national debt

Answer 47

deficit is when expenditures > revenues, while national debt is the accumulation of deficit over time; more than $33T+

Question 48

revenue

Answer 48

money the government gets, mainly from taxing individuals and corporations

Question 49

entitlements

Answer 49

government programs that provide benefits to people who require support and meet certain qualifications. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid are examples

Question 50

House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee

Answer 50

the principal committees that have jurisdiction on all tax-related legislation in the House and Senate

Question 51

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Answer 51

federal agency of the legislative branch that provides budget/economic information to Congress

Question 52

Budget resolution

Answer 52

a bill setting limits on expenditures based on revenue projections, agreed to by both houses of Congress in April each year

Question 53

authorization bill

Answer 53

an act of Congress that establishes, changes, or continues a discretionary government program

Question 54

appropriations bill

Answer 54

bill passed annually to fund an authorized program

Question 55

continuing resolutions

Answer 55

resolution that extends payments to the past fiscal year if Congress overspends or needs to meet certain constraints