Government Vocab

Checks and balances

Key parts of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to acquire the consent of the other two branches in order to act

Cooperative federalism:

Also known as "marble cake federalism." This is a political system wherein federal, state, and local governments share responsibility in governing the people, and they work together cooperatively to solve problems

Electoral college

A body of representatives from each of the states in the U.S. who formally cast votes to elect the next president of the U.S.

Enumerated powers

Powers held by the federal government that are mentioned by name in the U.S. Constitution

Faction

A group that tries to influence the government for the benefit (or interest) of its own members

Federalism

A political system that organizes a government into two or more levels that hold independent powers

Federalist Papers

Essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton in 1788 urging the ratification of the U.S. Constitution following the drafting of the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787

Inherent powers

Powers held by the President that aren't explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but which are sometimes necessary in order for the President to fulfill the duties of the office

Limited government

A type of system of government in which the powers of the government are limited by or kept in check by laws or a written Constitution

Social contract

An agreement between a government and the people, in which the people consent to be governed so long as the government protects the natural rights of the people

Block grants

Grants given to local or state governments from the U.S. federal government. These grants typically have some strings attached, but the local or state government also has the freedom to allocate the grant funds for a wide range of services to the state or locality

Casework

Efforts by state representatives and senators to help individual constituents receive things that those constituents believe they deserve. By the members of Congress is a form of stepping around bureaucracy in order to get things done.

Civil Service

All government officials who work in government occupations that are neither judicial nor political are in civil service, and they're referred to as "civil servants." In the U.S., civil servants are non-elected and non-military public sector employees of U.S. federal government departments and agencies.

Commerce clause

Part of Article 1 of the Constitution that allows Congress to regulate the buying and selling of goods across state lines (also known as interstate commerce).

Concurrent powers

Powers given by the U.S. Constitution to both national and state governments. An example of this power is the power to levy taxes.

Congressional oversight

Authority held by Congress to review, monitor, and supervise federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation. This authority is implied in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules.

Discharge Petition

A petition used in the House that begins the process of forcing a bill out of committee (or "discharging" it from committee) and onto the House floor for a vote. This needs signatures of 218 members, or a majority of the House.

Divided Government

An instance in which one political party controls the executive branch, and another political party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Executive order

A power enacted by the U.S. president allowing that office to pass a rule or regulation as law.

Gridlock

A situation when there is difficulty in passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people, often due to a divided government. A government is considered this when the ratio between bills passed and the agenda of the legislature decreases. This is sometimes also referred to as a "deadlock" or "stalemate."

Iron Triangle

A tripartite relationship among Congress (particularly sub-committees of Congress), government agencies, and interest groups that helps create U.S. policy. Participants in an this are also involved in policymaking in order to protect their own self-interests.

Judicial review

A right held by the federal courts to make rulings on the constitutionality of laws and executive actions. This is one of the judicial branch's key checks and balances on the other two branches of government.

Logrolling

A practice used by members of Congress in which two or more members of Congress agree to vote on each other's bills. Members of Congress typically use this in order to pass bills that are personally important to them.

Reserved powers

Powers given exclusively to the states or the people by the 10th amendment of the Constitution. These powers are not shared with the federal government. The purpose of this power is to protect the rights of the states and the people.

Stare decisis

A legal doctrine that requires judges to follow the precedents established in prior court decisions and historical court cases. This intends to ensure fairness and consistency in court decisions by requiring judges to approach cases with similar scenarios and facts in the same way.

14th Amendment

This amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects various aspects of citizenship and citizens' rights and has been invoked in several well-known cases. The most familiar phrase in the 14th amendment is "equal protection of the laws"; this phrase played a key role in cases like Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), and Reed v. Reed (gender discrimination).

Affirmative action

The practice or policy of allocating resources or employment to individuals belonging to groups that have a history of being discriminated against.

Amendments

Additions to the Constitution that further protect the rights and liberties of the people from government interference. The first ten amendments added to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. There are 27 constitutional amendments total.

Bill of attainder

A legislative act (historically used by Parliament) that declares a person or group of people guilty of a crime and rendering punishment, often without a fair trial. This effectively nullifies the targeted person's civil rights. The use of such bills has been largely rejected due to the potential for abuse and violation of due process and separation of powers.

Civil liberties

The freedom of citizens to exercise customary rights without abridgement by legislation or judicial interpretation. Five basic civil liberties are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. These basic civil liberties are freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government.

Civil rights

Ensure the individual citizen's rights and entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of society and state without discrimination or repression. Civil rights include protection from discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, color, race, ethnicity, age, political affiliation, religion, and disability.

Due process

A citizen's entitlement to fair treatment through the judicial system. This requires the state to respect the legal rights owed to an individual or group.

Free exercise clause

A section of the First Amendment that reserves the right of citizens to accept any religious belief and freely engage in religious rituals. This clause protects violation of certain laws, as long as these violations are made for religious reasons.

Selective Incorporation

A constitutional doctrine, sometimes also called the incorporation doctrine, that makes the Bill of Rights binding on state governments, effectively holding them to the same standards as the federal government. This allows the Supreme Court to incorporate certain parts of certain amendments, rather than incorporating entire amendments at once.

Writ of habeas corpus

Latin for "that you have the body." The federal courts in the U.S. system may use the writ of habeas corpus to determine whether a state's detention of a prisoner is legally valid. Such a writ can be used to bring a prisoner or other detainee before the court to determine if that person's imprisonment or detainment is lawful