AP GOVT: Unit 2 Democratic Institutions and Linkage Institutions

Electoral College

Electoral system in which states vote on electors who actually vote for President. Number of electors is based on the number of Representatives and Senators of each state. 270 needed to win Presidency

Swing States

-States that are not guaranteed , or has a strong tie to either party. Can vote for either party which is why candidates spend good portion campaigning here

Limits on presidential powers

congressional override of veto, impeachment, Supreme Court can review presidential actions to determine constitutionality

Impeachment and Removal

Accusation of wrongdoing of President by the House and trail of the President by the Senate.

Imperial presidency

The expansion of the power of the presidency in ways which avoid traditional checks and balances.

Executive orders

-Formal rule or regulation by the president that is carried our and enforced as if a law. Can implement policy changes without a law.

Signing statement

Addition to the President's signature to pass a law which in which the President describes how the bill will be enforced.

Recess Appointments

Ability of the President to appoint officials to executive offices without Congressional approval if Congress is not in session. Appointment expires at the end of the next session of Congress.

Executive privilege

allows president to refuse to release information to Congress or a court.

War Powers Resolution

calls on president to consult with Congress before and during any possible armed conflict involving US military

Formal powers of the President Authority that the President has as granted to them in the Constitution

Examples of Formal Powers of the President Chief of state, Chief executive (laws carried out, removal power), Commander in chief, Chief diplomat

Examples of Informal Powers of the President Executive privilege and Executive Orders

Informal powers of pres

Make sure all laws are "faithfully executed," powers expanded in wartime/crisis. Executive privilege (privilege of confidentiality between himself and advisers) & executive orders

Commander in Chief

president's title as head of the nation's military

Chief Executive

president's duties to see that government programs are carried out and laws are enforced, as head of the executive branch and its bureaucracy.

Chief Diplomat

President's role in controlling a nation's foreign policy plans and procedures for dealing with other countries.

Legislator in Chief

President's role in setting forth a legislative agenda, and signing or vetoing bills passed by Congress

qualifications to become president

35 years old, natural born citizen of US, lived in country 14 years

22nd Amendment

The President is limited to ten years in office, two four year terms and up to two years finishing out a previous term.

Presidential succession

the order of who serves after the president, set by the 25th Amendment. First 3 are Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Presidential pardon

releases a convicted criminal from having to fulfill a sentence. judicial powers.

Chief of Staff

manages the White House Office and serves as key adviser to President

Federal Bureaucracy

millions of national government employees in the executive branch, a combination of civil service workers and political appointees, who carry out and enforce the laws.

Cabinet Departments

15 executive departments, each of which specializes in a general area of government policy, headed by a cabinet secretary who reports directly to the president. Ex. State Department Department of Defense.

Independent Regulatory Agencies

Federal agencies which are independent of government control, and which create and enforce regulations on specific industries. Ex. FEC regulates campaigns, Federal Reserve regulates money and interest rates.

Independent Executive Agency

Executive branch agencies that exist outside the cabinet departments but report to the President. Ex. The CIA, NASA

Redtape

-Complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

appropriations bill

legislative act proposing to authorize the expenditure of public funds for a specified purpose

bicameral legislature

A law making body made of two houses (bi means 2). Example: Congress (our legislature) is made of two house - The House of Representatives and The Senate.

budget resolution

A resolution binding Congress to a total expenditure level, supposedly the bottom line of all federal spending for all programs.

casework

legislative work on behalf of individual constituents to solve their problems with government agencies and programs

census

official count of the population every ten years

bill

a statute in draft before it becomes law

bipartisanship

A policy that emphasizes a united front and cooperation between the major political parties, especially on sensitive foreign policy issues.

cloture rule

a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate

committee chair

The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.

concurrent resolution

an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president

Congressional Budget Office

staff agency that advises Congress on the likely economic effects of different spending programs and provides information on the costs of the proposed policies.

Congressional oversight

power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy

Constituent

a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent

deficit

the amount by which expenditures exceed income

discretionary spending

Spending set by the govt through appropriations bills, including operation expenses &salaries of govt employees (defense, environment, education, space exploration)

divided-party government

one party controls the presidency while the other party controls one or both houses of Congress.

filibuster

a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes

fiscal year

The period from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 for which government appropriations are made and federal books are kept.

franking privilege

the ability of members of congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for postage

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

house rules committee

An institution unique to the House of Representatives that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full House.

impeachment

The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Constitution. The House of Representatives may impeach the president by a majority vote for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

joint committee

A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

lame duck

an outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term, after retiring or being defeated for reelection

legislative branch

The branch of government that makes the laws.

legislative oversight

Congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

legislative veto

The authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power.

majority leader

The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.

majority-minority district

a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district

mandatory spending

spending authorized by law that continues without the need for annual approvals of Congress

mark up

Rewrite of a bill after hearings have been held on it (happens in sub-committee)

minority leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate

pocket veto

when a president kills a bill passed during the last 10 days congress is in session by simply refusing to act on it

policy agenda

The informal list of issues that Congress and the president consider most important for action.

policy voting

occurs when people base their choices on how close a candidate's issues positions are to their own issue preferences.

pork barrel spending

The appropriation of government spending for projects that are intended primarily to benefit particular constituents, such as those in marginal seats or campaign contributors.

power of the purse

The constitutional power of Congress to raise and spend money. Congress can use this as a negative or checking power over the other branches by freezing or cutting their funding.

president pro tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

quorum

The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

reapportionment

the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

reciprocity/logrolling

a practice whereby two or more members of Congress exchange support for legislation important to each other

redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

rider

A provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat.

seniority system

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

speaker of the house

An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.

standing committee

A permanent committee in the House or Senate that considers bills within a certain subject area.

supremacy clause

statement in Article VI of the Constitution establishing that the Constitution that the Constitution, laws passed by congress, and treaties of the united states" shall be the supreme law of the land"

veto override

If the President vetoes a bill, the Congress may override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The bill would then become law, the President's objections notwithstanding.

whip

A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking

jurisdiction

the authority of the courts to hear certain cases

appellate jurisdiction

courts that hear reviews or appeals of decisions from the lower courts have this

Federal District Court

94 courts (every state, including Puerto Rico and DC, have at least 1). Original jurisdiction any type of federal civil or criminal cases, created by Judiciary Act of 1789

Court of Appeals

13 courts. 200 judges. Appellate ONLY

Supreme Court

only required court by Constitution. 1 court with 9 judges. Mostly appellate jurisdiction; rarely original jurisdiction

Constitutional courts

the federal courts created by Congress under Article III of Constitution

Legislative courts

created by Congress include territorial courts, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Appointment of SC Justices

President approved by Senate

Qualifications of SC Justices

None term of office for SC Justices. Life when they have "good behavior" Can retire, be removed via impeachment and conviction death or resignation

accepting cases

thousands are appealed each year; they pick a couple hundred they want to hear

Why are most cases denied?

justices think lower court's decision was right

Brief

a detailed statement of the facts of a case supporting their position; written by each side before case

Majority Opinion

explains the court's decision and its reason, if chief justice votes w/ majority, chief selects who writes opinion (or writes it himself)

Precedents

which are standards or guides to be followed in deciding similar cases in the future (common sense)

Judicial Restraint

court avoids making policy; wants to leave policy up to other two branches

Appellate court (most important caseload of the supreme court)

They review all final decisions of district courts (except in rare cases).

Original Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction of a court that hears a case first, usually in a trial.

Judicial Review

A process by which the courts interpret the Constitution. When the courts interpret the Constitution, it allows us to understand how our founding fathers set out to run our country.

Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

Cases involving Diplomats from foreign nations, and disputes between states.

Civil law

A law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights.

Rule of four

A requirement which states that a case can only be heard by a supreme court if four justices vote to hear the case.

Judicial activism

One who believes that the Constitution is a living document whose strength lies in its flexibility and that judges should make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground by challenging the policy positions of the Congress and the President