Unit 2 - Interactions Among Branches Flashcards
partisanship
prejudice in favor of a particular cause; bias; slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology
entitlement program
program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law
mandatory spending
spending required by existing law that is “locked in” the budget (ie social security, medicare, medicaid)
discretionary spending
spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the President (optional spending, ie military + education)
budget surplus
government takes in more money than it spends
budget deficit
government takes in less money than it spends
national debt
total money owned by national government
setting federal budget
- president propose budget
- congress acts
cloture
procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action (3/5 senators agree to it)
gerrymandering
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters
filibuster
an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation
how a bill becomes a law
- introducing the bill
- the first reading
- standing commitee
- sub committee
- rules committee
- bill on the floor
- voting
- bill goes to the other house (through step 2-7)
- conference committee
- the president (2/3 majority to override)
house rules committee
determine when a bill will be subject to debate and vote + how long debate will last + whether amendments will be allowed on the floor
conference committee
temporary committee with a purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers
constituencies
body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator
delegate role
idea that main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituent wishes
trustee role
idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment
politico role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituent and parties in making decisions
impeachment
bringing formal charges against the president or other officials
need 2/3 majority vote
1. resolution
2. committee vote
3. house vote
4. hearing
5. report
6. house vote
7. senate trial
8. senate vote
incumbent
a political official who is currently in office
joint committee
provide administrative coordination between the house and senate and conduct studies for benefit of both houses
logrolling
trading of votes on legislation by members of congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation
majority leader
head of party with most seat in congress
minority leader
head of party with second-highest number of seats in congress
malapportionment
uneven distribution of population between legislative districts
senate hierarchy
vice president
president pro tempore
majority / minority leader
majority whip, committee chairpersons, minority whip
markup
process during which a bill is revised prior to a final vote in congress
oversight
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
political action committees
organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns
president pro tempore
second-highest-ranking official of the US senate, after the vice president
redistricting
states redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census
apportionment
process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data
speaker of the house
only house position in the constitution; political and parliamentary leader of the house
standing committee
permanent legislative panels established by the US house of representatives and the US senate rules
war powers resolution
law passed over president nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without congressional authorization
whip
member of congress, chosen by his/her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline
congressional budget act of 1974
governs role of congress in the US budget rocess
casework
assistance provided by members of congress to constituents who need help while filing a grievance with the federal government
earmark / pork barrel spending
addition to a piece of legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states
Shaw v. Reno
court decided that districts drawn with intention to allow for a black-majority district are unconstitutional
Baker v. Carr
court decided that districts need to have similar population size and that supreme court have jurisdiction in the reapportionment process
bureaucracy
body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group
bureaucratic adjudiction
when federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program
cabinet
cabinet members serve as advisors to the president
executive office of the president
a collection of offices within the white house organization designed mainly to provide information to the president
executive privilege
right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny
executive orders
policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval
formal powers
powers of the president expressly granted in the constitution
informal powers
powers not laid out in the constitution but used to carry out presidential duties
veto
formal rejection by president of a bill that has passed both house of congress
pocket veto
informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within 10 days
25th amendment
when there is no vice president, president nominate a vice president after a majority vote from both house of congress
22 amendment
max terms for president is 2
signing statement
text issued by president 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
government corporations
government agency that is established by congress to provide a market-oriented public service and to produce revenues that meet or approximate its expenditures
independent executive agencies
agency otherwise similar to cabinet departments but existing outside of the cabinet structure and usually having a narrower focus of mission
independent regulatory commissions
organizations that exists outside of the major cabinet departments and whose job is to monitor and regulate specific sectors of the economy
hatch act
prohibit civil service employees in the executive branch of government from engaging in some forms of political activiey
pendleton act
created US civil service commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service
imperial presidency
describe president as am emperor who acts without consulting congress or acts in secrecy to evade or deceive congress
iron triangle
coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals
state of the union address
annual speech from president to congress updating the branch on the state of national affairs
pardons
government decision to allow a person to b relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction
amicus curiae
individual/organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case (court decide whether to consider an amicus brief)
federal courts + jurisdictions
supreme court : original + appellate jurisdiction
circuit court : only appellate jurisdiction
district court : only original jurisdiction
original jurisdiction
court can be the first court to hear the case
appellate jurisdiction
the court can hear a case to review/reverse decision of lower court
judiciary act of 1789
require justices to preside over a circuit court once a year + place limits on the control of supreme court over local circuit courts
rule of 4
supreme court only grant a petition for review only if there are at least 4 votes to do so
precedent
a judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases
stare decisis
practice of letting a previous legal decision stand
criminal law
a category of law covering actions determined to harm the community itself
civil law
a category of law covering cases involving private rights and relationships between individual and groups
majority opinion
binding supreme court opinions, which serve as precent for future cases
concurring opinion
an opinion that agrees with the majority decision but offer different or additional reasoning
dissenting opinion
an opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion
judicial activism
philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies
judicial restraint
philosophy of constitutional interpretation that asserts justices should be cautious in overturning laws
judicial supremacy
idea that supreme court should be viewed as the authoritative interpreter of the constitution and that we should deem its decision as binging on other branches and levels of government
strict construction
particular philosophy of judicial interpretation that limits or restricts such interpretation only to the exact wording of the law
loose construction
particular philosophy of judicial interpretation where there is a broader interpretation of the law
roe v. wade
court decided that state laws that makes abortion illegal are unconstitutional, decision to abort given to individuals rather than government
(this decision as overturned in 2022, handing the right to regulate abortions to the states)
brown v. board of education
“separate but equal” violates the equal protection clause, schools cannot be racially segregated
