Studied by 17 peopleTrustee
someone who is elected to represent others and make decisions they think are best, even if it's not exactly what the people want.
Delegate
someone who is elected to represent others and make decisions based solely on what the people they represent want, rather than their own opinions.
Politico
A balance of both trustee and delegate.
Formal Powers
the specific duties and authorities given to officials from the constitution.
Informal powers
Powers that are unwritten that government officials have
Veto
a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.
Pocket-Veto
an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.
Commander-in-chief
Like a general or admiral. Leader of the armed forces. He can send troops to places for up to 60 days
Treaties
a formally signed and ratified agreement between two or more nations or sovereigns
Executive Agreement
informal agreements with foreign countries. Not subject to presidential approval
Executive Order
A direct order from the president that has the power of a federal law.
Signing Statements
official pronouncements issued by the President of the United States at or near the time a bill is signed into law.
Twenty-Second Amendment
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
Appointments
The Constitution gave the power of appointing federal officers, including ambassadors, judges, and other officials, to the President along with the advice and consent of the Senate. The President nominates the officials and the nominations move to the Senate for the confirmation process.
State of the Union
a message from the President to Congress, usually given once a year in January or February. In the message, the President talks about important issues facing Americans and offers his ideas on solving the nation's problems, including suggestions for new laws and policies.
Judicial Review
the courts are vested with the authority to determine the legitimacy of the acts of the executive and the legislative branches of government.
Seventeenth Amendment
Passed by Congress on May 13, 1912, and ratified on April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment modified Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators. Prior to its passage, senators were chosen by state legislatures.
Federalist 78
The independence of the judicial branch erected from the protective wall around its power.
· Hamilton argues that the judiciary should be the weakest branch of government since it does not hold the power of the purse or the sword. He emphasizes the importance of judicial review, stating that the judiciary's role is to interpret the laws and the Constitution and to determine if legislative acts are in line with the Constitution. Hamilton also advocates for lifetime appointments for judges to ensure their independence from political influence. Defends the concept of judicial review and the need for an independent judiciary to protect the rule of law and prevent tyranny.
Stare Decisis
Let the decision stand. Precedent.
Amicus Curiae
Friends of the court. Letter written by an individual or organization that provides further information and how the decision will affect them.
Writ of Certiorari
The Supreme Court orders a case from the lower court to be reviewed.
Habeas Corpus
a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. Translated from Latin it means “show me the body.”
Divided Government
Governance divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. Can cause gridlock (difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people)
Doctrine of Original Intent
Looking at the Constitution based on the intention of the framers
Incorporation Doctrine
Applying most of the Bill of Rights to state gov. (Mapp v. Ohio)
Judiciary Act of 1789
Established 6 justices for the Supreme Court and 9 in the latter 19th century. Established lower courts.
Congressional Oversight
the power of Congress to scrutinise and check the activities of the executive branch of government and hold it to account Power of the Purse and Committee Hearings
Budgetary Oversight
Congress holds significant power over the federal budget, and oversight plays a crucial role in this process. Committees review agency budgets, appropriations, and expenditures to ensure that taxpayer funds are being used efficiently and effectively.
Hearings and Testimony
Congress holds significant power over the federal budget, and oversight plays a crucial role in this process. Committees review agency budgets, appropriations, and expenditures to ensure that taxpayer funds are being used efficiently and effectively.
Committees
smaller groups of Members and staff who specialize in the various subjects that come before Congress. Most committees further break out into subcommittees of fewer Members for further specialization.
Chairperson of Committees
exercise control over the scheduling of hearings and formal action on a bill. They also decide which subcommittee will act on legislation falling within their committee’s jurisdiction.
Standing Committees
permanent bodies that are established by the rules of each chamber of Congress and that continue from session to session. In addition, most of the standing committees have created several subcommittees to carry out their work.
House ways and means Committee
the responsibility for raising the revenue required to finance the Federal Government. Standing Committee
House Rules Committee
standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.
Appropriations Committee
House and Senate. hold hearings to examine the budget requests and needs of federal spending programs. The House and Senate then produce their own appropriations bills to fund the federal government.
Delegated discretionary authority
The power given to an agency to make decisions about the implementation of existing laws, using its discretion and judgment.
Select Committees
is normally created for a limited period of time and for a specific legislative purpose. Select committees are disbanded when they have reported to the chamber that created them. They rarely create original legislation.
Joint Committees
is formed by the concurrent action of both chambers of Congress and consists of members from each chamber. Joint committees may be permanent or temporary, have dealt with the economy, taxation, and the Library of Congress.
Conference Committees
special type of joint committees – are formed for the purpose of achieving agreement between the House and the Senate on the exact wording of legislative acts when the two chambers pass legislative proposals in different forms. A bill cannot be sent to and signed by the president unless it is passed in both Houses in identical form.
Checks and Balances
a fundamental principle in the United States government system designed to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful and to ensure that each branch operates within its constitutional limits. Here's everything you should know about checks and balances:
Checks and Balances of the Legislative Branch
On the Judicial branch:
Senate approves justices
The House can impeach justices
The Senate tries impeached justices
Congress can create amendments
Congress can set jurisdiction for courts
Congress can alter the size of the Supreme Court
On the Executive branch:
House can impeach a President
Senate tries an impeached President
If there is no electoral majority, the House chooses the President and the Senate chooses the Vice President
Congress can override a Presidential veto with a 2/3 vote in the House and Senate
Senate approves departmental appointments, treaties, and ambassadors
Congress has to approve replacements to the Vice President
Congress declares war
Congress can tax
The President is required to make "State of the Union" addresses
Checks and balances of the executive branch
On the Legislative branch:
The President has the power to veto
The Vice President is the President of the Senate
The President is the Commander in Chief of the military
The President can make appointments of senior federal officials while the Senate is in recess
The President can call the House and Senate into emergency sessions
When the houses do not agree on adjournment, the President has the power to force it to happen
On the Judicial branch:
The President can appoint justices
The President has pardon power
Checks and Balances of the Judicial Branch
On the Legislative branch:
Compensation is not allowed to decrease
Judicial seats are held on good behavior
On the Executive branch:
Judicial Review
During impeachment trials, the Chief Justice is President of the Senate
Bureaucracy
An administrative group of nonelected officials charged with implementing policies created by the other branches of government.
Civil Service
The permanent, professional branches of government administration. The civil service is nonpartisan and its employees are hired and promoted based on merit rather than patronage.
Iron Triangle
A longstanding, mutually-beneficial relationship between an interest group, congressional committee, and bureaucratic agency devoted to similar issues. For example, the American Association of Retired Persons, the Congressional Subcommittee on Aging, and the Social Security Administration all work closely on issues related to seniors.
Issue Network
A group of individuals, public officials, and interest groups that form around a particular issue, usually a proposed public policy that they wish to support or defeat.
Merit System
In the federal bureaucracy, the practice of hiring and promoting individuals based on their qualifications and job performance.
Patronage
In the federal bureaucracy, the practice of hiring and promoting individuals based on their political support for a party or candidate rather than on their merit. Also called the spoils system
Incumbency Advantage
The tendency of incumbents (officials already holding a political office) to win reelection. Incumbents have advantages in media exposure, fundraising, and staffing. Ex. Franking privilege
Porkbarrel Spending
government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to direct spending to a representative's district.
logrolling
trading votes to get support for a bill
Gerrymandering
when illegal district lines are drawn to give advantage to one party or race
Apportionment
the process of distributing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states.
Reapportionment
is the process of dividing seats for the House among the 50 states following the decennial census.
Redistricting
The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.
How does a bill become a law
o A “money” bill must start in the House
The bill is referred to a committee and its subcommittees for study, discussion, hearings, and re-writing
When a bill is reported out to the full chamber, it must be scheduled for debate (by the Rules committee in the House and by the leadership in the Senate)
After the bill has been passed in each chamber, if it contains different provisions, a conference committee is formed to write a compromise bill, which must be approved by both chambers before it is sent to the president to sign or veto.
Grants
Ways that the federal gov disperses $ to state and local governments
Block Grants
Broad grants to states for prescribed activities with few strings attached(child care, welfare, social services, education and health care)
Categorical grants
$ for a specific purpose, subject to federal supervision, and have strings attached. (school lunches, building of a highway)
Project Grants
state, local, and nongovernmental agencies can apply for $ (universities, employment training programs); National Science Foundation.
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