vocab_s-w

Question 1

sampling error

Answer 1

margin of error in public opinion poll, most are accurate within a margin of +/- 4 percent

Question 2

frustration and agony

Answer 2

emotions felt when typing up all of these freaking vocabulary words

Question 3

saving amendment

Answer 3

amendment to a bill proposed in hopes of softening opposition by weakening objectionable elements of the bill

Question 4

Schenck v. United States

Answer 4

case involving limits on free speech rights, established the “clear and present danger” principle in determining what type of speech could be restricted

Question 5

search warrant

Answer 5

document issued by the courts to allow the police to search private property, to obtain a warrant, the police must go before a judge and explain 1) where they wany to search, and 2) what they are looking for. It also limits where the police may search and what they may take as evidence (Fourth Amendment)

Question 6

select committee

Answer 6

temporary committee of Congress, usually created to investigate specific issues

Question 7

selective incorporation

Answer 7

process by which the Supreme Court has selectively applies the Fourteenth Amendment to state law

Question 8

senatorial courtesy

Answer 8

a check placed on the president by which candidates for the federal bureaucracy must first be approved by a vote within the Senate

Question 9

shield law

Answer 9

law guaranteeing news reporters the right to protect the anonymity of their sources, there is no federal shield law

Question 10

soft money

Answer 10

political donations made to parties for the purpose of general party maintenance and support, such as get-out-the-vote campaigns, issue advocacy, and advertisements that promote the party (but not individual candidates. soft money contributions were banned in 2002 by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Question 11

split-ticket rating

Answer 11

choosing candidates from different parties for offices listed on the same ballot

Question 12

spoils system

Answer 12

the political practice of trading goverment jobs and preferences for political and financial support, Andrew Jackson was the first to be widely accused of using this to reward political friends and supporters

Question 13

standing committee

Answer 13

a permanent congressional committee

Question 14

strict constructionism

Answer 14

beliefe that the Constitution should be read in such a way as to limit the powers of the federal government as much as possible, strict constructionists emphazise the Tenth Amendment

Question 15

supremacy clause

Answer 15

section of the Constitution that requires conflicts between federal and state law to be resolved in favor of federal law, state constitutions, federal laws, international treaties and unconstitutional laws can be invalidated through this clause

Question 16

The Patriot Act (2001)

Answer 16

act passed in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, granting broad police authority to the federal, state, and local governments to interdict, prosecute, and convict suspected terrorists

Question 17

three-fifths compromise

Answer 17

agreement between Southern and Northern states stating that three-fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted toward both congressional apportionment and taxation

Question 18

United Nations

Answer 18

international organization established following World War II, aims to preserve international peace and foster international cooperation

Question 19

unanimous consent decree

Answer 19

agreement passed by the Senate that establishes the rules under which a bill will be debated, amended, and voted upon

Question 20

unwritten Constitution

Answer 20

certain deeply ingrained aspects of our government that are not mention in the Constitution, such as political parties, political conventions, and cabinet meetings

Question 21

veto

Answer 21

the power held by chief executives to reject acts of legislature, can be overridden by a two-thrids majority vote of both houses of Congress

Question 22

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 22

federal law that increased government supervision of local election practivces, suspended the use of literacy tests to prevent people from voting, and expanded government efforts to register voters. The Voting Rights Act of 1970 permanently banned literacy tests

Question 23

War on Poverty

Answer 23

those programs of President Lundon Johnson’s Great Society that were specifically aimed at assisting the poor

Question 24

War Powers Act

Answer 24

law requiring the president to seek periodic approval from Congress for any substantial troop commitment, passed in 1973 in response to national dissatisfaction over the Vietname War

Question 25

Warren Court (1953-1969)

Answer 25

the Supreme Court during the era in which Earl Warren served as Chief Justice, best remembered for expanding the rights of minorities and the rights of the accused

Question 26

writ of habeas corpus

Answer 26

a court order requiring an explanation as to why a prisoner is being held in custody

Question 27

writ of certiorari

Answer 27

a legal document issued by the Supreme Court to request the court transcripts of a case, indicated that the Court will review a lower court’s decision