vocab_d-k

Question 1

dealignment

Answer 1

a recent trend in which voters act increasingly independent of a party affiliation, a consquence of this is split-ticket voting which leads to a divided government

Question 2

delegated powers

Answer 2

constitutional powers granted solely to the federal government

Question 3

direct democracy

Answer 3

form of government in which all enfranchised citizens vote on all matters of government

Question 4

divided government

Answer 4

a goverment in which the presidency is controlled by one party and Congress is controlled by the other

Question 5

double jeopardy

Answer 5

the act of trying an individual a second time after he has been acquitted on the same charges (prohibited by the Constitution)

Question 6

dual federalism

Answer 6

form of U.S. federalism during the nation’s early history, during this period the federal and state governments remained separate and independent

Question 7

due process

Answer 7

established legal procedures for the arrest and trial of an accused criminal

Question 8

elastic clause

Answer 8

the section of the Constitution that allows Congress to pass laws “necessary and proper” to the performance of its duties (allows Congress to stretch its powers beyond those specified by the Constitution)

Question 9

electoral college

Answer 9

Constitutionally established body created for the sole purpose of choosing the president and vice president

Question 10

eminent domain

Answer 10

the power of the government to take away property for public use as long as there is just compensation for property taken

Question 11

entitlement programs

Answer 11

social insurance programs that allocate federal funds to all people who meet the conditions of the program, they are a form of mandatory spending so it is incredibly difficult to cut funds during the budgetary process (Social Security largest and most expensive one)

Question 12

Equal Rights Amendment

Answer 12

failed Constitutional amendment that would have guaranteed equal protection under the law for women (1970s)

Question 13

establishment clause

Answer 13

section of the Constitution that prohibits the government from designating one faith as the official religion of the United States

Question 14

exclusionary rule

Answer 14

rule that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence at trial (exceptions are the objective good faith rule and the inevitable discovery rule)

Question 15

executive agreement

Answer 15

presidential agreements made with foreign nations that have the same legal force as treaties but do not require the approval of the Senate

Question 16

executive privilege

Answer 16

the right of the president to withold information when doing so would compromise national security (not mentioned in the Constitution)

Question 17

ex post facto laws

Answer 17

if allowed, these laws would punish people for actions that occurred before such actions were made criminal

Question 18

extradition

Answer 18

process by which governments return fugitives to the jurisdiction form which they have fled

Question 19

Federal Reserve Board

Answer 19

executive agency that is largely responsible for the formulation and implementation of monetary policy

Question 20

federalism

Answer 20

term describing a system under which the national government and local governments share powers (United States and others including Canada, Switzerland, and Australia)

Question 21

Federalist Papers

Answer 21

a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to defend the Constitution and persuade Americans that it should be ratified, they presented concerns and issues the framers faced as they created a blueprint for the new government

Question 22

filibuster

Answer 22

a lengthy speech that halts all legislatvie action in the Senate

Question 23

fiscal year

Answer 23

twelve-month period starting on October 1, government budgets go into effect at the beginning of this and a budget resolution is agreed upon in April to guide government spending for the coming fiscal year

Question 24

Freedom of Information Act (1974)

Answer 24

act which declassified government documents for public use

Question 25

front-loading

Answer 25

a strategy in which states have pushed forward the date of their primary elections

Question 26

full faith and credit clause

Answer 26

section of the Constitution that requires states to honor one another’s licenses, marriages, and other acts of state courts

Question 27

general election

Answer 27

election held on the first Tuesday of November, during which voters lect officials

Question 28

gerrymandering

Answer 28

the practice of drawing congressional district lines to benefit one party over the other

Question 29

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Answer 29

Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a defendant in a felony trial must be provided a lawyer free of charge if the defendant cannot afford one

Question 30

Gramm-Rudman-Holings Bill (1985)

Answer 30

set budget reduction targets to balance budget but failed to eliminate loopholes

Question 31

Great Society

Answer 31

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s social/economic program, aimed at raising the standard of living for America’s poorest residents (Medicare, Medicaid, Project Head Start, Job Corps, and VISTA)

Question 32

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Answer 32

Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that the Constitution implicitly guarantees citizens’ right to privacy

Question 33

Hatch Act (1939)

Answer 33

a congressional law that forbade government officials from participating in partisan politics and protected government employees from being fired on partisan grounds; it was revised in 1993 to be less restrictive

Question 34

House Rules Committee

Answer 34

determines the rules for debate of each bill, including whether the bill may be amended (most powerful committee in the House)

Question 35

impeachment

Answer 35

process by which a president, judge, or other government official can be tried for high crimes and misdemeanors (does not remove from office)

Question 36

indictment

Answer 36

a written statement of criminal charges brought against a defendant, guarantee that defendants know the charges against them so they can plan a defense

Question 37

inevitable discovery

Answer 37

exception to the exclusionary rule that allows the use of illegally obtained evidence at trial if the court determines that the evidence would eventually have been found by legal means

Question 38

initiative

Answer 38

process through which voters may propose new laws, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters’ power over government

Question 39

interest group

Answer 39

political group organized around a particular political goal or philosophy, they attempt to influence public policy though political action and donations to sympathetic candidates

Question 40

iron triangle

Answer 40

also called subgovernment they are formed by the close working relationship among various interest groups, congressional committees, and executive agencies that enforce federal regulations (these groups can collectively exert a powerful influence over legislation and law enforcement)

Question 41

Jim Crow laws

Answer 41

state and local laws passed in the post-Reconstruction Era South to enforce racial segregation and otherwise restrict the rights of African Americans

Question 42

joint committee

Answer 42

congressional committee composed of members of both houses of Congress, usually to investigate and research specific subjects

Question 43

judicial activism

Answer 43

term referring to the actions of a court that frequently strikes down or alters the acts of the executive and/or legislative and executive acts

Question 44

judicial review

Answer 44

the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and executive actions unconstitutional

Question 45

killer amendment

Answer 45

amendment to a bill proposed by its opponents for the specific purpose of decreasing the bill’s chance of passage