Gov terms

Social Contract

Hobbes, People are in a social contract with the government. They sacrifice some freedoms in exchange for protection.

Natural Rights Theory

Locke, life, liberty, and property are God-granted rights (NOT GOVERNMENT GRANTED), and the government must protect them. If the government does not protect them, the people have the right to overthrow it.

Checks and Balances (Enlghtenment)

Montesquieu, limited power in each branch.

Participatory democracy

Broad participation in politics/society by people of various statuses.

Pluralist democracy

Group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals.

Elite democracy

Power to the educated/wealthy discourages participation by the majority of people.

Republican-style government.

Style of government where people vote representatives into office to legislate on their behalf.

Popular Soverignty

The power to govern is with the consent of the governed.

Federalism

Separation of state and federal powers.

Bicameral

two houses

Implied Powers

Granted via Article 1, Section 8’s “Necessary and proper clause”. allows Congress to make any legislation that seems necessary and proper to carry through its enumerated powers.

Supremacy clause.

Federal law trumps state law.

Enumerated Powers (Define)

Powers given to Congress in Article 1 of the Constitution.

Delegated powers.

Powers that belong to the national government.

Reserved powers.

Powers that belong to the states.

Concurrent powers.

Power is shared by the federal government and the states.

Article 1

Legislative Branch

Article 2

Executive branch.

Article 3

Judicial branch.

Article 4

State Relations

Article 5

Amendment Process

Article 6

National Supremacy

Article 7

Ratification process

Enumerated powers (LIST THEM)

Collect/levy taxes, borrow money, coin money, declare war, raise armies, and maintain a navy.

Powers of the President

They are the Commander-in-Chief of the military, they enforce laws, and they veto/sign laws.

Original jurisdiction

Getting to hear a case for the first time.

Appellate jurisdiction.

Court doesn't hear the case for the first time, but they get appeals from the lower court.

Categorical grant

Gives federal money to the states as long as they comply with certain standards.

Block grant.

Gives federal money to be spent in a broad category, and the states determine how the money is spent within the boundaries.

Mandates

The federal government requires states to follow federal directions and gives money towards the carrying out of the mandate.

Unfunded mandate.

Federal government sets mandate and then provides no funds to help states comply.

Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries to give a certain party or group of voters future advantage.

Standing Committee.

Remains from session to session and deals with issues that are always present.

Joint committee

Involves members from both the House and the Senate.

Select committee.

Temporary committee that is formed for a specific purpose.

Conference Committee.

Formed if both houses can't agree on the same version of a bill.

Discharge petition.

If a bill dies in committee, the House can use a majority vote to bring it back.

Filibuster.

An attempt by a senator to stall/kill a bill by talking for too long.

cloture rule

Move to end a filibuster with a 3/5 vote.

Unanimous consent.

Call for agreement to take away privileges to get work done faster.

Non-germane riders.

Provisions to the bill that are irrelevant.

Pork barrel spending.

Funds given to a certain representative's district, often used to support reelection

Logrolling

I'll vote for your bill if you vote for my bill.

Federal Budget Mandatory Spending

Money that they have to allocate by law.

Federal Budget Discretionary Spending

Whatever's left over and typically goes to human resources.

Federal Budget Deficit Spending

When they spend more than they have.

Divided government.

When the House and Senate are majority different parties, or when the president is a different party than Congress.

Lame-duck president.

A president whose successor has already been named, who is in their waning days of presidency

Delegate Model

Believes that they must vote with the will of the people.

Trustee Model

Believes that they have been entrusted with the people's faith and must vote according to their own conscience.

Politico model.

Hybrid of trustee and delegate.

Borking

the defeat of a judicial or executive nominee through a concerted, aggressive campaign that attacks their character, ideology, and background

Energetic Executive

Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Seventy says that the president must act quickly and decisively. The benefits of this will be unity and responsibility.

Bully pulpit

The president's ability to use their platform to influence the media, sway public opinion, and advance their policy agenda.

Stare decisis.

“Let the decision stand”, Use past precedents to decide what to do for current precedents.

Loose constructionism

Considers the Constitution a living, evolving document.

Strict constructionism

Interprets the Constitution as the words literally say.

Judicial Activism

When the court acts to establish policy and, in its work, considers the broad effects of a decision on society.

Judicial restraint.

Justices who adhere to this idea believe that judges are not appointed to make policy, and that a law will be struck down not in consideration of its effects on society, but to the degree it violates the actual written word of the Constitution.

Bureaucracy.

The millions of people who are employed to carry out the responsibilities of the federal government.

Cabinet Departments

The people in the cabinet are the heads of these departments. They advise the president and work in major policy areas.

Agencies.

Work to carry out the department's goals.

Independent Regulatory Commission

Created to regulate some aspect of society.

Government corporations.

Hybrid between an agency and a business. They are created when there are services that the gov wants to give the public, but the free market is the best way to do it.

Iron triangles.

Alliances between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and 3rd party interest groups.

Department of Homeland Security

U.S. federal cabinet department that protects the nation from terrorism, natural disasters, secures borders, enforces immigration, and improves cybersecurity

Department of Transportation

Cabinet-level executive department to develop national transportation policies and ensure safe, efficient, and modern infrastructure of air, highway, road, and sea traffic

Department of Veterans Affairs

Cabinet-level department responsible for providing benefits, healthcare services, and National Cemetery services to U.S. military veterans and their families

Department of Education

Cabinet-level executive department that establishes policy and ministers federal education aid and enforces federal laws aimed at ensuring equal access to education

Environmental Protection Agency

independent US federal agency to protect human health and the environment by developing and enforcing regulations based on congressional law

Federal Election Commission

independent regulatory agency created to monitor campaign finance, enforce donation limits, and oversee public funding for presidential campaigns to ensure transparency

Security and Exchange Commission

independent federal regulatory agency to protect investors, maintain fair and efficient markets, regulate the stock market, and enforce securities laws.

Power of the purse

The congressional power to raise money through taxes and distribute said money for federal affairs is used to assert power over bureaucracy.

1st Amendment

Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

Second Amendment

Right to bear arms.

Third Amendment.

Write to keep soldiers from quartering in your home.

Fourth Amendment.

Protection from unwanted searches and seizures of personal property without a warrant.

Fifth Amendment.

Rights of the accused protect from self-incrimination and grant due process.

Sixth Amendment.

Right to a fair and speedy trial by jury. Witnesses and gives everyone a lawyer.

Seventh Amendment.

The Right to a Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits

Eighth Amendment

Protects from excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.

Ninth Amendment.

People have rights other than those listed in the Constitution.

10th Amendment

Every power not explicitly given to the federal government is given to the people and states

Eleventh Amendment.

Restricts federal courts from hearing lawsuits against states by citizens of another state or country.

12th amendment

Modified the way that the president and vice president are elected via the electoral college.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery.

14th Amendment

Declare that all people born in the US are citizens and entitled to equal rights and are protected by due process. Also applied the Bill of Rights to the states.

15th Amendment

Ban laws that prevented people from voting based on race.

16th Amendment

Establish the federal income tax.

17th Amendment

Popular election of senators.

18th Amendment

Banning of liquor.

19th Amendment

A woman's right to vote.

20th Amendment

Reduce the wait time between election and start of term.

21st Amendment

Repealed the 18th Amendment.

22nd Amendment

Two-term presidential term limit.

Twenty-third Amendment

Gave citizens of Washington, D.C. the right to vote for representatives in the Electoral College

24th Amendment

Abolition of poll taxes.

25th Amendment

Sets up what to do if the president dies or steps down in the middle of a term

26th Amendment

Right to vote at the age of 18.

27th Amendment

Preventing members of Congress from raising their own salary.