AP Gov unit 2 vocab

pork barrel spending

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

logrolling

Trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.

oversight

Efforts by Congress to monitor and 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.

malapportionment

The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

Incumbency

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

Speaker of the House

The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

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 and make sure they show for important votes.

minority leader

The head of the party with the second party's members.

majority leader

The person who has the most power in the Senate.

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.

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.

entitlements

Programs that provide 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.

delegate

The idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents' wishes.

trustee

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

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.

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 2/3 majority in 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.

Pardon

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

executive privilege

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 Senatorial 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 Powers Resolution Act

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 HOR, followed by a trial in the Senate, with a 2/3 vote necessary to convict and remove.

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

A collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president.

bully pulpit

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

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 by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the toehr 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.

district courts

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

courts of appeals

The middle level of the 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 precedent.

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.

Bureaucracy

The departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation.

Patronage

Filling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit.

Pendleton Act

An act of Congress that created the first United States Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service(also known as  Civil Service Reform Act of 1883).

civil service

The merit system that requires other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections.

iron triangle

Coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

issue network

Webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.

Implementation

The bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws that Congress has passed.

bureaucratic discretion

The power to decide how a law is implemented and to decide what Congress meant when it passed a law.

Regulation

The process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of 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 or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program.

Majority-Minority district

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