AP Gov Unit 2

Pork barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

logrolling

trading votes on legislation by members of congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.

oversight

efforts by congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

constituency

a body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

apportionment

the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

redistricting

states redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

partisan gerrymandering

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

majority-minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within the electoral district.

malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

speaker of the house

the leader of the house of representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

political action committee (PAC)

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House majority leader

the person who is the second in command of the house of representatives.

whip

a member of congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

minority leader

the head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in congress, chosen by the party’s members.

Senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.

committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.

discharge petition

a motion filed by a member of congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the house of representatives for a vote.

House rules committee

a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the house floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.

committee of the whole

consists of all members of the house and meets in the house chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.

hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.

unanimous consent agreement

an agreement in the senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.

filibuster

a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.

cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it.

veto

the power of a president to reject a bill passed by congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections.

Office of Management and budget (OMB)

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities.

entitlement program

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income,

mandatory spending

spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget.

discretionary spending

spending for programs and policies at the discretion of congress and the president.

Budget surplus

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends

budget deficit

the shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends.

national debt

the total amount of money owed by the federal government.

delegate role

the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituents wishes.

trustee role

the idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement.

politico role

representation where members if congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions.

bipartisanship

agreement between the parties to work together in congress to pass legislation.

gridlock

a slowdown or halt in congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship.

divided government

control of the presidency and one or both chambers of congress split between the two major parties.

lame duck period

period at the end of a presidential term when congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees.

executive branch

the branch of government charged with putting the nation’s laws into effect.

formal or enumerated powers

powers expressly granted in the constitution

informal powers

powers not laid out in the constitution but used to carry out presidential duties.

treaty

an agreement with a foreign government negotiated by the president and requiring a two-thirds vote in the senate to ratify.

state of the union address

the annual speech from the president to congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs.

veto

formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of congress.

pocket veto

an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when congress has adjourned at the end of a session.

presidential pardon

presidential authority to release individuals convicted of a crime from legal consequences and set aside punishment for a crime.

executive privileges

a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of congress.

executive agreement

an agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability in the american system as a treaty but does not require senate ratification.

signing statement

written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consist of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself.

executive order

policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

war power resolution

a law passed over president nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than sixty days without congressional authorization.

impeachment

the process of removing a president from office, with articles of impeachment issued by a majority vote in the house of representatives, followed by a trial in the senate, with a two-thirds vote necessary to convict and remove.

Executive office of the president (EOP)

a collection of the offices within the white house organization designed mainly to provide information to the president.

bargaining and persuasion

an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of congress to support his or her policy initiatives.

bully pulpit

presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies.

going public

a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the american people with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president’s policy goals.

federal judiciary

the branch of the federal government that inteprets the laws of the nation.

supreme court

the highest level of the federal judiciary, which was established in article III of the constitution and serves as the highest court in the nation.

original jurisdiction

the authority of a court to act as the first court to hear a case, which includes the finding of facts in the case.

appellate jurisdiction

the authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by lower courts in that system.

Federalist No. 78

argument made by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

a supreme court decision that established judicial review over federal laws.

judicial review

the authority of the supreme court to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the constitution.

criminal law

a category of law covering actions determined to harm the community.federa

civil law

a category of law covering cases involving private rights and relationships between individuals and groups.

federal district courts

the lowest level of federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the federal level.

federal district court of appeals

the middle level of federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.

precedent

a judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases.

stare decisis

the practice of letting a previous legal decision stand.

majority opinion

binding supreme court opinions, which serve as precedent for future cases.

concurring opinion

an opinion that agrees with the majority decision, offering different or additional reasoning, that does not serve as president.

dissenting opinion

an opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent.

judicial restraint

a philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should be cautious in overturning laws.

judicial activism

a philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies.

federal bureacracy

the departments and agencies of appointed officials within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation

bureaucrat

an official employed within a govt. bureaucracy

political patronage

filing administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit

federal civil service

the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces & political appointments

merit system

hiring & promotion based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections

iron triangle

formed between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees and interest groups

issue network

web of influence groups between interest groups, policymakers & policy advocates

implementation

bureaucracy’s role in putting into action the laws that congress has passed

bureaucratic discretion

the power to decide how a law is implemented & what congress meant when it was passed into law

regulation

process, federal bureaucracy makes the rules that have the force of the law, to carry out the laws passed by congress

Bureaucratic adjudication

when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws of determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program

General Accountability Office

GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people.

Sunshine Act

requires that most government meetings be conducted in public and that notice of such meetings must be posted in advance

Sunset legislation

requiring gov to open their meetings to the public and press

Capture

process where regulatory agencies come to be protective and influenced by the industries they were established to regulate bureaucracy

Whistleblower

 a person who exposes misconduct, alleged dishonest or illegal activity occurring in an organization, named after someone who would blow their whistle at troubling matters

agenda setting

the ability (of the news media) to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda

Committee System as a Whole

a committee of the House on which all Representatives serve and which meets in the House Chamber for the consideration of measures from the Union calendar

polarization

divergence of political attitudes away from the center, towards ideological extreme

Imperial presidency

a U.S. presidency that is characerized by greater power than the Constitution allows

Reprieve

cancel or postpone the punishment of someone (especially someone condemned to death)

Judicial implementation

how and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy, affecting the behavior of others

Senatorial courtesy

Presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by senators from appointees state (especially senior senators)