AP US Government Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the AP US Government Unit 2 lecture transcript covering the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, federal bureaucracy, foundational documents, and checks and balances.

Bicameral Congress

A legislative body divided into two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, in which all federal legislative powers are vested under Article I of the Constitution.

House of Representatives

The congressional chamber with representation apportioned by population, whose members serve 2-year terms, must be at least 25 years old and a citizen for 7 years, and holds the sole power of impeachment as well as originating revenue bills.

U.S. Senate

The congressional chamber consisting of 2 Senators per state serving 6-year terms, requiring members to be at least 30 years old and a citizen for 9 years, with powers to try impeachments, confirm appointments, and ratify treaties.

17th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that changed the selection method of U.S. Senators from choice by State Legislatures to direct election by the people.

Power of the Purse

The economic enumerated power granted to Congress to lay and collect taxes, borrow money, coin money, and allocate funding, which is also used as a check to oversight executive agencies by cutting funding.

Necessary and Proper Clause

A clause in Article I, Section 8 giving Congress the authority to make all laws necessary and proper for executing its enumerated powers.

Congressional Oversight

The executive branch monitoring performed by Congress using investigative committees (such as the Senate Watergate Committee) and funding control through the power of the purse.

Divided Government

A political scenario where the presidency and Congress are controlled by different political parties, leading to increased gridlock, frequent presidential vetoes, lower bipartisanship, and Senate rejection of appointments from lame-duck presidents.

Federalist No. 70

An essay written by Alexander Hamilton that argues for energy in the executive through a single executive, asserting it provides greater decision, activity, secrecy, dispatch, effectiveness during crises, and accountability than a plural executive.

Executive Agreements

Informal international agreements negotiated by the President that do not require Senate ratification.

Signing Statements

Written comments issued by the President upon signing legislation, indicating how the executive branch intends to interpret or execute the law.

Executive Orders

Directives issued by the President used as an informal power to manage the operations of the federal government.

22nd Amendment

The constitutional amendment limiting a President to two elected terms, allowing an individual who succeeds to the presidency and serves less than two years of their predecessor's term to still run for two full terms of their own.

25th Amendment

The constitutional amendment establishing legal procedures for managing presidential disability and filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President.

Impoundment

The refusal of a President to spend funds appropriated by Congress, an action the President generally cannot perform unilaterally to force an agency to comply with a personal agenda.

U.S. Postal Service

The federal bureaucratic agency that maintains the highest bipartisan public favorability rating, sitting at approximately 90% for Democrats and 87% for Republicans.

Original Jurisdiction

The authority of the Supreme Court to hear a case first, which explicitly applies to cases affecting Ambassadors and those where a State is a party.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The authority of the Supreme Court to review cases originating from lower courts, which encompasses most of its judicial caseload subject to congressional regulations.

Majority Opinion

The official, legally binding explanation of the Supreme Court's ruling in a case.

Concurring Opinion

An opinion written by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with the majority's ultimate conclusion but for different legal reasons.

Dissenting Opinion

An opinion written by Supreme Court justices who disagree with the majority's conclusion and legal reasoning.

Declaration of Independence

A foundational document authored by Thomas Jefferson arguing for natural rights (Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness), popular sovereignty, and the social contract.

Articles of Confederation

A foundational document written by John Dickinson that created a weak central government with a unicameral legislature, no executive or judicial branch, and sovereign state power.

Federalist No. 10

An essay authored by James Madison asserting that factions are inevitable but can be controlled in a Large Republic, preventing any single group from tyrannizing the minority.

Federalist No. 51

An essay authored by James Madison that outlines how separation of powers and checks and balances are necessary to prevent the centralization of political power.

Brutus No. 1

An Anti-Federalist foundational document arguing that a large republic leads to a detached, elite ruling class and that the Necessary and Proper and Supremacy clauses give excessive power to the national government.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

A foundational Supreme Court case under Article III that established the judiciary's authority to interpret the supreme law of the land regarding cases arising under the Constitution.