vocab_l-r

Question 1

legislative oversight

Answer 1

one of Congress’s most importat tasks, the investigation and evaluation of the performance of corresponding executive agencies and departments to check the power of the executive branch

Question 2

limited government

Answer 2

principle of government that states that government powers must be confined to those allowed it by the nation’s Constitution

Question 3

line-item veto

Answer 3

power held by some chief executives to excise some portions of a spending bill without rejecting the entire bill (President cannot do this)

Question 4

mandate

Answer 4

level of support for an elected official as perceived through election results

Question 5

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Answer 5

Supreme Court decision that established the principle of judicial review

Question 6

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Answer 6

case in which the Court ruled that, upon arrest, a suspect must be advised of the right to remain silent and the right to consult with a lawyer

Question 7

national convention

Answer 7

occasion at which a political party officially announces its presidential nominee and reveals its party platform for the next four years (today nominees have been pre-determined by primary election results)

Question 8

National Organization of Women (NOW)

Answer 8

feminist political group formed in 1967 to promote legislative change. NOW lobbied for the failed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution

Question 9

National Security Council

Answer 9

presidential advisory board established in 1947. The NSC consults with the president on matters of defense and foreign policy

Question 10

nomination

Answer 10

endorsement to run for office by a political party

Question 11

objective good faith

Answer 11

exception to the exclusionary rule that allows the use of illegally obtained evidence at trial if the court determines that police believe they were acting within the limits of their search warrant when they seized the evidenec

Question 12

Office of Budget and Management

Answer 12

executive branch office responsible for drawing up the president’s proposals for the federal budget

Question 13

open primary

Answer 13

primary election in which voters may vote in whichever party primary they choose, though they must select that part before entering the voting booth

Question 14

original jurisdiction

Answer 14

term used to describe a court’s power to initially try a case. Courts in which cases are first heard are those with originial jurisdiction in the case, appellate courts hear challenges to earlier court decisions

Question 15

override

Answer 15

the Constitutional power of Congress to supersede a president’s veto by a two-thirds majority in both houses

Question 16

pardon

Answer 16

cancellation of criminal punishment, this power is held by presidents and governors

Question 17

platform

Answer 17

statement of purpose and policy objectives drafted and approved by political parties at their national conventions, they rarely exert much influence on day-to-day politics

Question 18

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Answer 18

ruling that “separate but equal” facilities for different races are not unconstitutional

Question 19

political action committee (PAC)

Answer 19

the fundraising apparatus of interest groups, donations and contributions from PACs are regulated by federal law

Question 20

political party

Answer 20

group of people with common political goals which hopes to influence policy through the election process

Question 21

policy implementation

Answer 21

the process by which executive departments and agencies put legislation into practive, they are often allowed a degree of freedom to interpret legislation as they write guidelines to enact and enforce the law

Question 22

Populist

Answer 22

political party of the late 1800s that primarily represented farmers and working-class Americans, sough inflationary economic policies to increase farm income

Question 23

president pro tempore

Answer 23

individual chosen to preside over the Senate whenever the vice president is unavailable to do so, chosen by the Senate from among its members

Question 24

primary election

Answer 24

form of election held by the majority of the states, during which voters select the nominees for political parties

Question 25

prior restraint

Answer 25

censorship of news material before it is made public

Question 26

privileges and immunities clause

Answer 26

section of the Constitution stating that a state may not refuse police protection or access to its courts to U.S. citizens because they live in a different state

Question 27

progressive income tax

Answer 27

increases tax rates for people with higher income to allow those with greater need to keep more of what they earn while taking more form those who can best afford it

Question 28

pork barrel

Answer 28

budget items proposed by legislators to benefit constituents in their home state or district

Question 29

quorum

Answer 29

the minimum number of people required for the legislature to act

Question 30

realignment

Answer 30

occurs when a party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda, the groups of people composing the party coalition may split up, resulting in a vastly different party. Realignments are rare and tend to be signaled by a critical election, last one occurred during the New Deal between the working-class and ethnic groups under the Democratic party

Question 31

reapportionment

Answer 31

process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the House, occurs every 10 years, when census data reports shifts in the population of districts

Question 32

recall election

Answer 32

process through which voters can shorten an office holder’s term, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters’ power over government

Question 33

referendum

Answer 33

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

Question 34

regulatory agency

Answer 34

executive agency responsible for enforcing laws pertaining to a certain industry, the agency writes guidelines for the industry, such as safety codes, and enforces them through methods such as inspection

Question 35

representative democracy

Answer 35

form of government under which citizens vote for delegates who in turn represent citizens’ interests within the government

Question 36

reserved powers

Answer 36

Constitutional powers that belong solely to the states, according to the Tenth Amendment, these powers include any that the Constitution does not either specifically grant the national government or deny the state governments

Question 37

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Answer 37

case that decriminalized abortion

Question 38

runoff primary

Answer 38

election held between top two vote-getters in a primary election, when neither received a legally required minimum percentage of the vote, many states require a runoff when no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the primary vote for his or her party