Various Authors - Final Flashcards
What is federalism?
The belief that multiple sources of government authority could coexist, each with its own sphere of responsibility
What is nullification?
The power of the states to invalidate national laws that infringed on their authority
What are categorical grants?
Grants with fairly specific regulations about how the money must be spent
What are block grants?
Intergovernmental grant with a broad set of objectives, minimal restrictions, and maximum discretion for local offices
What are unfunded mandates?
The imposition of federal regulations on state and local governments without the appropriation of enough money to cover their cost
What is devolution?
The return of governmental responsibilities to state and local governments
What is line-item power?
Power that allows a governor to reject certain parts of a bill
What is reaportionment?
The periodic redrawing of state legislative congressional lines
What is classic liberalism?
Empowerment of the individual. Authority does not come from God, but instead from a social contract conferring privileges and duties on everyone
What is civic rebuplicanism?
Placed emphasis on virtue and the public good and less on personal freedom
What is communitarianism?
Belief that freedom comes from community members working together to make decisions about the common good
What is libertarianism?
Gives individualism a central place in the government and permits very minimal use of public power
What are constituents?
The people of a congressman’s district
What are political elites?
People who are deeply interested and involved in politics as activists or officeholders
What is political efficacy?
The belief that the citizen can make a difference by acting politically
What is a sampling error?
The error that creeps into polls because of the necessity of taking a sample rather than asking everyone
What is selective perception?
Absorbing information consistent with their predispositions and discounting the rest
What is priming?
The media’s involvement in what the public focuses their attention on; good and bad
What are district courts?
The lowest tier of the judicial system
What is the civil code?
Regulates the legal rights and obligations of citizens with regard to one another
What is a US attorney?
One of 93 litigators appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate and is responsible for the prosecution of a person who broke the civil code
What is the circuit court of appeals?
The court empowered to review all district rulings
What is a writ of certiorari?
A document granted by at least 4 justices to consider an appealed case and requests to be informed of the details
What are briefs?
Written legal arguments submitted by the opposing sides
What is the solicitor general?
A government official responsible for airing the presidential administration’s views before the court
