Institutions of National Government - Shared

Constituents

The people of an area or district who vote for their Congressperson and are represented by him/her for the congressional period.

Reapportionment

The altering of the boundaries of a legislative district in order to reflect shifts in population distribution.

Redistricting

The process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn.

Gerrymandering

Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party.

Safe Seat

A legislative seat that is likely to be retained with a large majority in an election.

Incumbent

The person already holding an elected office.

Bicameralism

The practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers.

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone.

Speaker

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of his or her party in the House.

Party Caucus

A meeting of all party members in the House; The organization of all party members in the House.

Majority Leader

The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate.

Minority Leader

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

Whip

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

Closed Rule

An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor.

Open Rule

An order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor.

President pro tempore

A high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Hold

A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor.

Filibuster

An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill.

Cloture

A rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. Used to end a filibuster.

Senatorial Courtesy

A trend of presidential appointments to be confirmed only if the senators from the appointee's state approve of them, especially the senior senator of the president's party from that state.

Standing Committee

Permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area.

Special/Select Committee

Congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose.

Joint Committee

Committees on which both senators and representatives serve.

Earmarks

"Hidden" provisions in a law that provide a direct benefit to a client without the benefit of having been reviewed on the merits by all of Congress.

Seniority Rule

A custom in Congress that grants committee chairmanship to a majority party member who has served on the committee for the longest amount of time.

Conference Committee

Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill.

Delegate

A person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference.

Trustee

Any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another.

Logrolling

A legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers.

Attentive Public

The portion of the public that pays attention to news about an issue and cares about what happens with that issue.

Discharge Petition

A device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor.

Rider

Amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will "ride" to passage through the congress. A bill with many riders is called a "Christmas tree" bill.

Pocket Veto

A bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within 10 days before Congress adjourns.

Override

A cancellation from one branch of government of a decision in another branch by exertion of authority or winning of votes.

Parliamentary System

A system of government in which the executive branch gets its power from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature.

Presidential Ticket

A single election choice which contains both a candidate for President and Vice President.

Treaty

A formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.

Executive Agreement

An international agreement made by the executive branch of the US government without ratification by the Senate.

Congressional-Executive Agreement

Approval of any agreement made by the president by joint resolution of both Houses of Congress instead of by a two-thirds vote of the Senate alone.

Veto

The power of a president to disapprove a bill; may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

Take Care Clause

The President must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Imposes a duty on the President to enforce the laws of the United States.

Inherent Powers

Powers held by the President that are not explicitly mentioned in the United States Constitution.

State of the Union Address

A speech presented by the President of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress, except in the first year of a new president's term.

Impeachment

Charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives.

Executive Privilege

The privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest.

Executive Orders

Orders issued by United States Presidents and directed towards officers and agencies of the Federal government of the United States that carry the full force of law.

Impoundment

An act by a President of the United States of not spending money that has been appropriated by the U.S. Congress.

Line Item Veto

An executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature.

Chief of Staff

The head of the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office. Responsible for overseeing the actions of the White House staff, managing the President's schedule, and deciding who is allowed to meet with the President.

Executive Office of the President

Immediate staff of the incumbent President of the United States and multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President.

Office of Management and Budget

Largest office within the Executive Office of the President; oversees the performance of federal agencies, and administers the federal budget.

Cabinet

The heads of 15 executive branch departments of the federal government.

Rally Point Mandate

A rise in public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans "Rally 'round the flag" and the chief executive.

Cycle of Decreasing Influence

The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.

Cycle of Increasing Effectiveness

The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time.

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials.

Bureaucrat

An official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs.

Department

A division of a large organization such as a government, university, business, or shop, dealing with a specific subject, commodity, or area of activity. (I.e. within the bureaucracy)

Independent Agency

The government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations.

Independent Regulatory Commission

Federal agencies created by an act of Congress that are independent of the executive departments.

Government Corporation

A state-owned entity that is created in order to pursue commercial or industrial activities on behalf of a national government.

Senior Executive Service

A position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government.

Spoils System

A practice in which a political party gives government civil service jobs to its supporters, friends and relatives as a reward and incentive for working for them.

Merit System

The process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections.

Office of Personnel Management

An independent agency of the United States government that manages the civil service of the federal government

Hatch Act

Law intending to prohibit employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice-president, and certain designated high-level officials of that branch, from engaging in some forms of political activity.

Administrative Discretion

The flexible exercising of judgment and decision making allowed to public administrators.

Implementation

The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending.

Regulations

A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law.

Rule-Making Process

Used by executive and independent agencies to create, or promulgate regulations. Legislatures first typically set broad policy mandates, then agencies create more detailed regulations.

Uncontrollable Spending

The portion of the federal budget that is spent on programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut.

Entitlement Programs

A government program that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population.

Indexing

Providing automatic increases to compensate for inflation.

Oversight

Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Efforts by Congress include hearings and investigations.

Central Clearance

Review of all executive branch testimony, reports, and draft legislation by the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each communication to Congress is in accordance with the president's program.

Judicial Review

The power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Adversary System

A legal system where two advocates represent their parties' case or position before an impartial person or group of people who attempt to determine the truth and pass judgment accordingly.

Criminal Law

A system of law concerned with the punishment of those who commit crimes.

Civil Law

The system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.

Justiciable Dispute

A requirement that to be heard in a case must be capable of being settled as a matter of law rather than on other grounds as is commonly the case in legislative.

Defendant

An individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

Plea Bargain

Any agreement in a criminal case between the prosecutor and defendant whereby the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a particular charge in return for some concession from the prosecutor.

Public Defender System

A system by which is an attorney-at-law is appointed by the courts and provided by the state or federal governments to represent and advise those who cannot afford to hire a private attorney.

Original Jurisdiction

The power of a court to hear a case for the first time.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The power of a higher court to review the decision made by a lower court.

Court of Appeals

Federal courts that hear appeals from district courts; no trials.

Precedent

A custom in which a rule or law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented.

Writ of habeas corpus

An order to produce an arrested person before a judge.

Judicial Restraint

The view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the Constitution.

Judicial Activism

Rulings suspected of being based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law.

Stare decisis

"Let the decision stand"; Allowing prior rulings to control the current case.

Writ of certiorari

An order by a higher court directing a lower court to send a case up for review.

Docket

A calendar or list of cases for trial or people having cases pending.

Amicus curiae Brief

A person or group who is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the matter, will submit a brief in the action with the intent of influencing the court's decision.

Opinion of the Court

A signed opinion of a majority of the Supreme Court.

Dissenting Opinion

A signed opinion in which one or more justices disagree with the majority view.Z

Concurring Opinion

A signed opinion in which one or more members agree with the majority view but for different reasons.