interactions among branches of government

census

census

survey taken every 10 years; determines the reapportionment of the house of representatives; states can gain or lose seats

gerrymandering

drawing district boundaries; majority party draws the congressional districts

house of representatives qualifications

must be 25 years old, legal resident of the state one is representing, u.s. citizen for 7 years; 2-year term

senate qualifications

must be 30 years old, u.s. citizen for 9 years; 6-year term

congressional district

territorial division of the state from which a house representative is elected

house of representatives

435 members; number of members is determined by the population of the state

senate

100 members; 2 members per state

filibuster

allows a senator to stall or kill a bill by taking long enough to run out a deadline on voting or get the opposition to give in

caucus

members of each house who belong to the same party

bipartisan

group made up of members of both parties

powers of the house of representatives

introduce revenue bills, impeach federal officers, select a president if no candidate wins the electoral college, determine tax policy

powers of the senate

advise and consent for presidential appointees, try and remove federal officers, approve treaties with a 2/3 vote, approve ambassadors and high-ranking military personnel, filibuster

standing committee

multiple permanent committees, often overlapping jurisdiction to afford more control to party leadership to move must-pass legislation

house rules committee

set rules (timing, conditions, schedule) to hear bills out of the rest of the standing committee

select committee

address temporary investigative or policy issues; dissolve generally after the term is adjourned

joint committee

members of both houses; investigative and research purposes

office of management and budget (omb)

assists the president in creating a budget that advances the president’s agenda

congressional budget office (cbo)

made up of nonpartisan accountants; reviews the current budget and prepares projections

partisan

believing or acting on the ideas of a political party or group

trustee

official who is expected to vote independently based on their judgement of circumstances

delegate

official who is expected to represent the views of their constituents when personally holding different views

politico

official who attempts to balance basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles

article ii

president must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born u.s. citizen; 4-year term

twenty-second amendment

limited a presidency to 2 4-year terms

impeachment

process of removing a president; ensured that no president could become tyrannical

president’s powers

commander-in-chief of the u.s. armed forces; pardon those convicted of federal offenses; nominate federal judges and officials

veto

block legislative initiatives

executive privilege

right to withhold information from congress, judiciary, the public

executive order

rule that bypasses congress but still has the force of the law if the courts don’t overturn it

primary

election where candidates vy for the support of the state delegation to the party’s nominating convention

king caucus

power to nominate presidents for office

inner cabinet

heads of departments of defense, justice, state, treasury

cabinet nomination

president nominates people to fill cabinet positions; the senate can confirm or reject; sometimes rejected or withdrawn because of the nominee’s past behavior

malign neglect

senate refuses to hold hearings at all

first 100 days in office

measure of presidential effectiveness; presidents address major initiatives; the president is the most powerful and given the benefit of the doubt during this time

inaugural address

first act of the new president; used as a rhetorical inspiration or to set priorities

patronage

appointing people loyal to the president or helping them out politically

executive order

directs government agencies to pursue a certain course in absence of congressional action; subject to court rulings and changes in policy enacted by congress

line-item veto

keeps the majority of the spending bill unaltered but nullifies certain lines of spending within it; alters or influences the application of the laws they sign

signing statement

issued by the president when agreeing to legislation that indicate how the president will interpret and enforce legislation

executive agreement

negotiated between 2 countries but not ratified by the legislature as a treaty

policy agenda

informal contract between a presidential candidate and voters

pocket-veto

if congress adjourns before the 10-day veto period is up and the president doesn’t sign the bill, it is vetoed

commander-in-chief

leader of the armed forces

signing statement

literal statement that the president can offer when signing the bill into law; informs the nation how they intend to execute the law

advice or consent

power granted to the senate to approve or reject the president’s appointments and treaties

precedent

prior rulings

stare decisis

implies that courts look to precedents when overseeing an ongoing case with similar circumstances

holding

reasoning behind a court decision; establishes principle or rule of law

historical interpretation

judge looks to the intentions of the framers and ratifiers of the constitution to shed light on its meaning

doctrinal interpretation

judge applies the rules established by precedents

prudential interpretation

judge seeks to balance the costs and benefits of a particular ruling

judicial activism

court acts to establish policy and considers the broad effects of the decision on society; the court goes beyond the constitution to establish the ideological will of the majority

judicial restraint

law should be struck down for violating the constitution without consideration of the effects on society; can prevent judges from overturning precedents

bureaucracy

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

spoils system

people who helped the president get elected get jobs

pendleton civil service act of 1883

created a merit-based bureaucracy and increased efficiency

delegated discretionary authority

congress delegates authority to bureaucratic agencies to implement laws

committee hearing

congress calls agencies to testify and report on how things are going; congress can decrease funding if misappropriated