AP Government UNIT 2 REVIEW [Everything You Need to Know!]

Legislative branch

The law-making branch of the government, also known as Congress.

Bicameral

A term used to describe a legislative body that is divided into two houses.

House of Representatives

The first house of Congress, where representatives are apportioned by the population of each state.

Senate

The second house of Congress, where each state gets two senators.

Enumerated powers

Powers explicitly listed in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that Congress holds.

Implied powers

Powers that Congress can pass any law required by the enumerated powers.

Necessary and proper clause

Also known as the elastic clause, it justifies Congress's implied powers.

Speaker of the House

The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by House members.

Majority and Minority Leaders

Leaders in the House who direct debates and guide their party members.

Whips

Representatives who ensure party discipline and make sure members of the party align with party goals.

President of the Senate

The Vice President of the United States, who presides over the Senate.

President Pro Tempore

The most senior member of the Majority party in the Senate, who acts as President of the Senate in the absence of the Vice President.

Senate Majority Leader

The leader in the Senate who sets the legislative agenda.

Committees

Groups in both houses of Congress where most of the legislative work is done.

Standing committees

Committees that endure for a long time and do work that always needs to be done from congressional session to congressional session.

Joint committees

Committees that have members from both the House and the Senate.

Select committees

Temporary committees created for a specific purpose.

Conference committees

Committees formed to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.

Majority party

The party that holds a majority of seats on each committee and whose member serves as the committee chair.

House Rules Committee

The committee in the House that decides which bills make it to the floor for debate.

Committee of the Whole

A unique committee in the House that includes all 435 representatives and relaxes some rules for debate.

Discharge petition

A procedure in the House to bring a bill out of a committee and into consideration and voting.

Filibuster

An attempt to stall or kill a bill by talking for a very long time in the Senate.

Cloture rule

A rule in the Senate that requires a two-thirds vote to shut down a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.

Unanimous consent

A procedure in the Senate where all senators agree to limit debate and avoid a filibuster.

Hold

When one senator objects to unanimous consent, causing a bill to be stalled.

Bill

A proposed law that is introduced by a member of Congress.

Riders

Non-relevant additions to a bill that are added to benefit a representative's own agenda or help get the bill passed.

Pork barrel spending

Funds earmarked for special projects in a representative's district.

Logrolling

Representatives agreeing to vote for each other's bills in an elaborate system of back scratching.

Federal budget

The allocation of funds by Congress, including mandatory and discretionary spending.

Mandatory spending

Payments required by law, especially with respect to entitlement spending.

Discretionary spending

Funds left over after mandatory spending is accounted for, used for various purposes.

Deficit spending

Approving an increase in spending beyond the available funds, resulting in borrowing money.

Political polarization

The phenomenon of Republicans becoming more conservative and Democrats becoming more liberal, making compromise difficult.

Divided government

When the president is from one party and both houses of Congress are from another, leading to potential gridlock.

Divided Government

A situation in which the executive branch and legislative branch are controlled by different political parties, leading to potential conflicts and slower decision-making processes.

Lame Duck

Refers to a president who is in the last months of their term and has limited power and influence.

Trustee Model

A conception of the representative role in which elected officials vote according to their own judgment and best interests, regardless of public opinion.

Delegate Model

A conception of the representative role in which elected officials vote according to the will of the people, even if it goes against their own judgment.

Politico Model

A blend of the trustee and delegate models, where representatives consider public opinion on an issue and may act as a delegate or trustee depending on the situation.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing congressional district boundaries based on changes in population and the apportionment of representatives.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of district boundaries to favor one political party or group over another.

Census

A population count conducted every 10 years to determine the number of representatives each state will have in Congress.

Reapportionment

The allocation of representative seats among states based on population changes identified in the census.

Baker v

A Supreme Court case in 1962 that established the principle of "one person, one vote" and allowed the court to rule on apportionment issues.

Shaw v

A Supreme Court case in 1993 that dealt with the constitutionality of drawing congressional districts based on race, specifically addressing racial gerrymandering.

Partisan Gerrymandering

The drawing of district boundaries to give one political party an advantage over others.

Racial Gerrymandering

The drawing of district boundaries to create majority-minority districts based on race.

Policy Agenda

The set of policies and priorities that a president wants to see enacted during their term in office.

Veto

The formal power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming a law.

Informal Powers

Powers exercised by the president that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution, such as the ability to influence legislation through threats of veto.

Pocket Veto

A veto that occurs when the president takes no action on a bill within 10 days of receiving it, and Congress is not in session to override the veto.

Commander-in-Chief

The power that belongs to Congress to deploy troops.

Declaration of war

A formal announcement by a country's government stating that it is at war with another country.

Executive agreements

Contracts between a president and another head of state, similar to treaties but do not require Senate ratification.

Executive order

A directive from the president that has the force of federal law, used to direct the actions of the federal bureaucracy and the military.

Signing statement

A statement issued by the president when signing a bill into law, explaining how the executive branch interprets the law and intends to execute it.

Federal appointments

The power of the president to appoint individuals to federal positions, such as cabinet members, ambassadors, and federal judges.

Supreme Court nomination

The process of appointing a judge to the Supreme Court, which can be highly contentious due to the long-term impact of the appointment.

22nd Amendment

An amendment to the Constitution that limits the president to serving two terms in office.

Expansion of presidential power

The increase in the authority and influence of the president over time, particularly seen in the actions of presidents like Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Bully pulpit

A term coined by Teddy Roosevelt referring to the power of the presidency to communicate directly with the people and influence public opinion.

State of the Union address

An annual speech delivered by the president to Congress, outlining the administration's priorities and agenda.

State of the Union

The annual address given by the President of the United States to Congress, outlining the administration's policies and priorities.

Fireside chats

A series of radio broadcasts by President Franklin Roosevelt in which he directly addressed the American people, explaining his policies and proposals in simple terms.

Bully pulpit

The President's use of their position and influence to shape public opinion and promote their agenda.

U.S

The lowest level of the federal court system, with 94 courts spread across the nation, having original jurisdiction to hear cases for the first time.

U.S

The intermediate level of the federal court system, with 12 courts, having appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals from the lower courts.

Supreme Court

The highest level of the federal court system, explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, with both original and appellate jurisdiction, responsible for interpreting the Constitution and checking the other branches of government.

Judiciary Act of 1789

The legislation passed by Congress that created all federal courts, except the Supreme Court, and established their structure and jurisdiction.

Federalist 78

An essay written by Alexander Hamilton, explaining the independence of the judicial branch and the power of judicial review.

Judicial review

The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws or government actions as constitutional or unconstitutional.

Marbury v

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1803 that firmly established the power of judicial review in the United States.

Precedent

A previous court decision that serves as a binding template for future decisions, guiding the court's rulings.

Stare decisis

The principle that courts should adhere to precedent and let the decision stand, making it difficult to overturn established rulings.

Brown v

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that overturned the precedent of "separate but equal" and declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Judicial activism

The idea that the court should actively establish policy and consider broader societal effects in its decisions.

Judicial restraint

The belief that judges should interpret the law strictly and not make policy decisions, leaving that role to the elected legislature.

Ideology

The political beliefs and values that influence a judge's decision-making process.

Roe v

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1973 that established the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

Legitimacy

The acceptance and recognition of the authority and power of the Supreme Court's decisions by the public.

Checks on the judicial branch

The President's power to appoint new judges, lack of enforcement by the executive branch, and legislation passed by Congress to limit the court's jurisdiction as ways to reduce the impact of court decisions.

Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy refers to the millions of people employed by the executive branch of the federal government to carry out its responsibilities.

Cabinet secretaries

The leaders of the 15 executive departments, such as the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense, who hold the highest level of authority in the bureaucracy.

Agencies

Subdivisions within the executive departments that work together to accomplish the goals of the department, such as tax-collecting agencies within the Department of the Treasury.

Commissions

Regulatory groups that operate somewhat independently of the president's authority but still fall under the executive branch, run by a board of individuals and created for a specific purpose, such as the Federal Communications Commission.

Government corporations

Entities that are a hybrid between a business and a government agency, where the government acquires businesses to offer public goods through the free market, such as PBS.

Delegated discretionary authority

The authority given to the bureaucracy by Congress to make rules and carry out laws, not to create laws itself.

Compliance monitoring

The responsibility of bureaucratic agencies to establish rules for certain industries and ensure that those industries are complying with those rules.

Iron triangle

A relationship between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups, where they work together and rely on one another to create policy.

Department of Homeland Security

Responsible for protecting the U.S. from terrorism and maintaining and controlling the nation's borders.

Department of Transportation

Manages various forms of transportation, such as highway and air travel.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Manages veterans hospitals and the general welfare of America's veterans.

Department of Education

Oversees states in their implementation of federal educational standards.

Environmental Protection Agency

Works to protect the environment and human health through industrial regulation.

Federal Elections Commission

Administers and enforces campaign finance laws.

Securities and Exchange Commission

Regulates the stock market and prevents fraud.