Vocab list for AP test Flashcards
Gives the national government and its laws general precedence over states’ laws, but Supreme Court interpretations may affect when specific actions exceed this constitutional power
Supremacy Clause
Found that race-based majority-minority districts could be constitutionally challenged if race was the sole factor used in their creation
Shaw v. Reno
More precise when it includes: i. Accurate sampling methods, including calculating a margin of error ii. Neutral framing of questions (specific and unbiased wording of questions) iii. Accurate reporting (clear reporting and conclusions that can be supported by the data)
Polling methodology
A list of subjects or issues to which government officials will agree to consider as part of public policymaking
Policy agenda
Formal foreign policy power of the President
Commander in Chief
A major political party that generally aligns more closely to conservative ideological positions; R or GOP
Republican Party
Interactive technologies facilitating the creation and sharing of information through virtual networks; e.g., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
Social media
A typical Senate procedure to bring bills to the floor for debate and vote
Unanimous consent
Approved on an annual basis for defense spending, education, and infrastructure; as entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending opportunities will decrease unless tax revenues increase, or the budget deficit increases
Discretionary spending
Eliminated poll taxes, a structural barrier to voting
Twenty-Fourth Amendment
A tactic to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill
Filibuster
An independent agency which seeks to achieve maximum employment and price stability
Federal Reserve
Two-house legislature
Bicameral
Prioritizes hiring and promotion based on professionalism, specialization, and neutrality
Merit system
Takes place when media influence how citizens acquire political information, including news events, investigative journalism, election coverage, and political commentary
Agenda setting (media)
An essay by James Madison, the fifty-first of The Federalist Papers. It was published on February 6, 1788, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist Papers were published.
Federalist 51
Consists of actions taken by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) to influence interest rates which affect broader economic conditions
Monetary policy
Include print media, radio, television, cable/satellite, and billboards
Traditional news media
A representative who will vote on issues based on their own knowledge and judgment
Trustee representative
Congressional legislation intended to limit bulk collection of telecommunication metadata on U.S. citizens by American intelligence agencies and end secret laws of FISA courts
USA Freedom Act
Individuals who opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and the ratification of the 1787 Constitution.
Anti-Federalist
Those not delegated or enumerated to the national government but are reserved to the states, as stated in the Tenth Amendment
Reserved powers
A political party or organization focused on a particular political ideology or social movement agenda
Ideological/social movements
A type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people.
Representative democracy
A nonviolent social movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United States
Civil Rights Movement
Process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide; U.S. political culture has both influenced and been influenced by the values of other countries
Globalization
A filing by a House member to have a bill brought to the floor for debate, but rarely done
Discharge petition
An outgoing politician or group of politicians who continue to serve until the assumption of their elected successors
Lame duck
Ensures that funds are being used properly and regulations are being followed
Compliance monitoring
Rights that all people inherently possess that cannot be taken away.
Natural rights
A political ideology centered around citizenship in a state organized as a republic, where the people’s representatives make decisions.
Republicanism
Involves incumbency advantage, open and closed primaries, caucuses, party conventions, general elections, and the Electoral College
Presidential election
Cruel and unusual punishment; Supreme Court interpretations of the Eighth Amendment have applied to death penalty statutes
Eighth Amendment
An informal power to allow the president to manage the federal government and are implied by the president’s vested executive power or by power delegated by Congress
Executive order
Constitutionally established guarantees and freedoms that protect citizens, opinions, and property against arbitrary government interference
Civil liberties
An analysis of the court’s decision, written by the justices; the majority opinion is agreed upon by more than half of the justices
Opinion
A legal or Constitutional question the court considers in a case
Issue
Requires that government officials use methods that are not arbitrary when making and carrying out decisions affecting constitutionally protected rights; procedural due process protections are reinforced by key protections enshrined in other provisions of the Bill of Rights and key legal doctrines established by the Supreme Court
Procedural due process
The power of a court to hear a case that has already been heard and decided by a lower court
Appellate jurisdiction
The market determines prices, products, and services
Free enterprise
Extended the Sixth Amendment’s right to an attorney to felony defendants in state courts as a protection of procedural due process
Gideon v. Wainwright
Supreme Court has affirmed support for a heavy presumption against prior restraint even in cases involving national security
Prior restraint
Include individualism, equal opportunity, free enterprise, and rule of law
Core values
Additions and/or revisions of a bill done in congressional committee
Mark up
The regulatory commission responsible for enforcement of campaign finance laws in federal elections
Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
The people eligible to vote in an election
Electorate
Established presidential term limits and demonstrates concern about the expansion of presidential power
22nd Amendment
Legal authority delegated to the federal courts to rule on cases and controversies
Jurisdiction
Held that redistricting cases could be heard by federal courts, ruling that such cases did not raise “political questions” beyond judicial scrutiny
Baker v. Carr
An advisory body to the President made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments and the Vice President
Cabinet
The executive department responsible for government education programs, educational financial aid, and equity access policies in public education
Department of Education
A political party or organization focused on addressing a perceived injustice or disagreement with public policies, agendas, or current political, economic, or social circumstances and situations
Protest movement
National funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding
Revenue sharing
Collective opinion on a topic or issue or voting intention relevant to society
Public opinion
Individuals who benefit from the work of an interest group without providing financial support; interest groups may deal with this issue by providing selective benefits, goods, and services that are only available to members, to encourage more people to join
Free rider
The (unconstitutional) authority of the President to reject or veto particular provisions of a bill passed by Congress
Line item veto
National funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states
Block grants
A recognized constitutionally protected right not explicitly named in the Constitution; interpreted by the Supreme Court to be granted by the Due Process clause in Griswold v. Connecticut
Right to privacy
Drawing an electoral district in which the majority of constituents are racial or ethnic minorities
Majority-minority districting
The court’s explanation of a holding
Reasoning
Benefits current officeholders possess over challengers
Incumbency advantage
A movement supporting the view that women should have the legal right to an elective abortion based on a recognized right to privacy
Pro-choice movement
The executive department responsible for public security, including anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management
Department of Homeland Security
Process and outcomes in U.S. congressional elections are affected by incumbency advantage, open and closed primaries, caucuses, and general elections
Congressional election
The first constitution of the United States, outlining the functions of the national government after it declared independence from Britain.
Articles of Confederation
Focuses on the characteristics of the candidate rather than the party
Candidate-centered campaign
Redrawing of congressional districts by state legislatures based on congressional reapportionment
Redistricting
An act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies.
Separation of powers
Found that a prohibition against students wearing black armbands in protest violated the First Amendment’s freedom of speech protections
Tinker v. Des Moines
A committee formed in the House to expedite debate on bills
Committee of the Whole
The right to legal counsel, speedy and public trial, and an impartial jury
Sixth Amendment
Overturned Roe v. Wade, holding that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, leaving decisions about the regulation of abortion to legislatures
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
An essay by James Madison arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution, discussing the dangers of factionalism.
Federalist 10
A draft or proposed law in Congress
Bill
Ruled that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment
Citizens United v. FEC
Such as Voter ID laws, variations in funding for polling places, types of voting allowed, and opportunities for registration, affecting the availability and ease of voting
Structural barriers
Favor fewer regulations in the marketplace; generally favor less national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with more responsibility for these issues left to state governments
Conservatism
An agency established to oversee and regulate a specific industry or sector and are delegated rulemaking authority; heads of commissions can only be removed for cause and insulated from presidential control; e.g., Federal Elections Commission (FEC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Reserve
Independent regulatory agency / commission
Favor more governmental regulation of the marketplace; generally favor more national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with less responsibility for these issues left to state governments
Liberalism
The process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors; family, schools, peers, media, and social environments (including civic and religious organizations) contribute to the development of an individual’s political attitudes and values
Political socialization
An effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with the “Stand by Your Ad” provision
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
A small, organized, dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics.
Faction
The ability of Congress to check the bureaucracy by appropriating or withholding funds
Power of the purse
The principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives.
Popular sovereignty
Language that harms the reputation of another
Defamation
An agency established outside the Executive Office of the President or executive departments designed for managerial and administrative functions as enacted by congressional legislation; e.g., Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Executive agency
Redrawing of congressional districts with the intent to create undue advantage for a political party
Gerrymandering
The relevant events of a case that occurred before courts became involved
Facts
Redistribution of congressional seats to the several states based on the U.S. Census held every 10 years
Reapportionment
National funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding
Categorical grants
Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.
Checks and balances
Uses a combination of trustee and delegate role conceptions
Politico representative
Prohibits racial discrimination in voting
Voting Rights Act of 1965
An agreement during the Constitutional Convention that large and small states reached, which in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution.
Great (Connecticut) Compromise
Consists of the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, which enumerate the liberties and rights of individuals, and is specifically designed to protect individual liberties and rights; application of the Bill of Rights is continuously interpreted by the courts
Bill of Rights
Establishes rules for debate on a bill in the House
Rules Committee
Informal power of the President for agenda setting that uses the media to influence public views about which policies are the most important
Bully pulpit
Regulations that impose restrictions such as limits on the time of day an event can be held, limits on where an event can be held, and limits on the noise levels at an event
Time, place, manner
A non-profit organization focused on the issues affecting those above 50 years of age; lobbies in favor of entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare
AARP
Voting process to elect candidates where only voters registered in a given party can vote in their party’s primary election
Open primary
Incorporation of third-party agendas into major party platforms can serve as a barrier to third-party success
Third party
An informal power of the President to inform Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president
Signing statement
Determined compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
Wisconsin v. Yoder
A situation in which no congressional action on legislation can be taken due to a lack of consensus
Gridlock
A political system where there is more than one center of power, and the state allows multiple groups to coexist and compete for influence.
Pluralist democracy
A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
Democracy
Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people
Fourteenth Amendment
Generated by Congress to address both mandatory and discretionary spending
Federal budget
Asserts that judicial review allows the courts to overturn current Constitutional and case precedent or invalidate legislative or executive acts
Judicial activism
Due process clause in the Fifth Amendment applies to the national government
Fifth Amendment
The executive department responsible for providing and managing healthcare and financial benefits for military veterans
Department of Veterans Affairs
The process of taking something away or off from the position occupied.
Removal (impeachment process)
Used by the Supreme Court to examine whether government laws and actions are arbitrary infringements of individual rights
Substantive due process
Government power to make law and an individual’s right to religious freedom through the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech; freedom of the press
First Amendment
