ap gov - branches of gov

constituents

residents of a congressional district/state

reapportionment

assigning by congress of congressional seats after each census, state legislatures do it as well for state legislative districts

redistricting

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

gerrymandering

drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party/group/incumbent

safe seat

elected office that is predictably won by one party so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted

incumbent

current holder of the elected office

bicameralism

principle of a two-house legislature

enumerated powers

powers expressly given to congress in the constitution

speaker

presiding officer of the house representatives, formally elected by the house but actually selected by the majority party

party caucus

meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy (called a conference by republicans)

majority leader

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

minority leader

legislative leader selected by the minority party as a spokesperson for the opposition

whip

party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature

closed rule

procedural rule in the house of representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments

open rule

procedural rule in the house of representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill

president pro tempore

officer of the senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

hold

procedural practice in the senate where a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of the bill/nomination

filibuster

procedural practice in the senate where a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and delays proceedings/prevents a vote

cloture

procedure for terminating debate, esp filibusters, in the senate

senatorial courtesy

presidential custom of submitting the names of perspective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work

standing committee

permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

special/select committee

congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation

joint committee

committee composed of members of both the house of reps and the senate, oversee the library of congress and conduct investigations

earmarks

special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of congress for their constituents

seniority rule

legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee/subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee

conference committee

committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form

delegate

official who is expected to represent the views of their constituents even when personally holding different views, one interpretation of the role of legislature

logrolling

'mutual aid' and vote trading among legislatures

attentive public

citizens who follow public affairs closely

discharge petition

petition that, if signed by a majority of the house's members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for considerations

rider

provision attached to a bill (may or may not be related) in order to secure its passage or defeat

pocket veto

indirect veto exercised by the president after congress has adjourned, if the president takes no action for ten days, the bill does not become law and does not return to congress for possible override

override

action taken in congress to reverse the presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber

parliamentary system

system of govt in which the legislature selects the prime minister/president

presidential ticket

joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot as required by the 12th amendment

treaty

formal, public agreement between the US and one or more nations that must be approved by 2/3 of the senate

executive agreement

formal agreement between the US and one or more

congressional-executive agreement

formal agreement between a US president and the leaders of other nations that acquires approval by both houses of congress

veto

formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress

pocket veto

formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress after it adjourns, if congress adjourns during the ten days the the president is allowed in order to sign/veto, the president can reject the law by taking no action at all

take care clause

constitutional requirement (article ii, section 2) that presidents 'take care that laws are faithfully executed', even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws

inherent powers

powers that are "inherent" to a sovereign state

state of the union address

president's annual statement to congress and the nation

impeachment

formal accusation against a president/other public official, first step in removal from office

executive privilege

right to keep executive communications confidential, esp if they relate to 'national security'

executive orders

formal orders issued by president to direct action by the federal

impoundment

decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by congress, now prohibited under federal law

line item veto

presidential power to strike/remove specific items from a spending bill w/o vetoing entire package, supreme court declared unconstitutional

chief of staff

head of white house staff

executive office of the president

cluster of presidential agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities (omb, council of economic advisors, ect)

office of management and budget (omb)

agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for govt agencies

cabinet

advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president

rally point

rising public approval of the president following a crisis

mandate

authorization to act given to a representative, formal order

cycle of decreasing influence

tendency of presidents to lose support over time

cycle of increasing effectiveness

tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their job over time

bureaucracy

form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules/procedures

bureaucrat

career govt employee

department

usually the largest org in govt w the largest mission, also the highest rank in the federal hierarchy

independent agency

govt agency independent of the branches

independent regulatory commission

govt agency/commission w regulatory power whose independence is protected by congress

government corporation

govt agency that operates like a corporation, created to secure more freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program

senior executive service

established by congress in 1978, flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who worked closely with presidential appointees to manage govt

spoils system

system of public employment based rewarding party loyalists and friends

merit system

system of public employment based on merit/demonstrated performance

office of personnel management (opm)

agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations

hatch act

federal statute barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds

implementation

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

administrative discretion

authority given by congress to the federal bureaucracy to use 'reasonable judgment' in implementing laws

regulations

formal instructions the govt issues for implementing laws

rule-making process

formal process for making regualtions

uncontrollable spending

portion of the federal budget that is spent on programs (such as social security) that the president and congress are unwilling/unable to cut

entitlement programs

programs such as unemployment insurance, disability relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens

indexing

providing automatic increases to compensate for inflation

oversight

legislative/executive review of a particular govt program/org, can be in response to a crisis or part of a routine review

central clearance

review of all executive branch testimony, reports, and draft legislation by the omb to ensure that each communication to congress is in accordance with the president's program

judicial review

power of a court to refuse to enforce a law/regulation that in the opinion of the judges, conflicts w the constitution

adversary system

judicial system in which the court of law is a neutral arena where two parties argue their differences

justiciable dispute

dispute growing out of an actual case or controversy, capable of settlement by legal methods

class-action suit

lawsuit brought by an individual or group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated

criminal law

law that defines crimes & legal punishment of criminal offenses

civil law

law that governs relationships between individuals/organizations and defines their legal rights and obligations

defendant

in criminal trial, person/party accused on an offense

plea bargain

agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser offense to avoid having to stand trial for a more serious offense

public defender system

arrangement whereby public officials are hired to provide legal assistances to ppl accused of crimes unable to hire their own attorneys

political question

dispute that requires knowledge of a nonlegal character/use of techniques not assigned by the constitution to congress or the president, judges refuse to answer constitutional questions that they declare are political

writ of habeas corpus

court order requiring explanation to a judge why a prisoner is being held in custody

original jurisdiction

authority of a court to hear a case first

appellate jurisdiction

authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts

grand jury

jury of 12-23 ppl who, in private, hear evidence presented by the govt to determine whether ppl should be required to stand trial, issues indictments

petit jury

jury of 6-12 ppl who determine guilty/innocent in a criminal or civil case

magistrate judge

official who performs a variety of limited judicial duties, similar duties to normal judges but less power

court of appeals

court with appellate jurisdiction that hears appeals from the decisions of lower courts

precedent

decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the supreme court that is binding on all other federal courts

senatorial courtesy

presidential custom (unofficial, not required) of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work

judicial self-restraint

philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the constitution literally and with authorial intent

judicial activism

philosophy proposing that judges should interpret the constitution to reflect the fact that its no longer 1780

stare decisis

rule of precedent, where a rule/law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented

writ of cetiorari

formal writ used to bring a case before the supreme court, higher court issues to the lower court to have them send case/records for review

amicus curiae brief

"friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual/org to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case (expert)