ap gov unit 2 vocab

pork barrel spending

allocations of monies to projects within districts or states

logrolling

members of congress trade votes to get their earmarks passed

constituency

the body of voters in an area who elect a representative or senator

apportionment

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

redistricting

states redraw the boundaries of electoral districts (done by state legislatures)

gerrymandering

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

partisan gerrymandering

intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific political party

majority-minority districts

majority of voters of minority ethnicity within a district

speaker of the house

leader of the entire house, majority party and controls house agenda and committee assignments

house majority leader

assists the speaker and sets the agenda for the majority party

whip

collects info about how members are planning to vote, sets party strategy in congress and keeps members in order

minority leader

leader of the party with second highest number of seats, leads minority party activity

senate majority leader

head of the party with the most seats, most powerful person in senate and shapes legislative agenda

filibuster

using unlimited debate with intention of talking a bill to death

cloture

60 senators vote to end a filibuster

office of management and budget

oversees the performance of federal agencies and administers the federal budget

entitlement program

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

mandatory spending

spending that is 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

government spending less than government revenue

budget deficit

government spending greater than government revenue

national debt

combination of multiple deficits

politico role

emphasizes that congress is politicized body; members of congress balance their choices with the interests of constituents and parties

executive branch

puts the nation's laws into effect

formal powers

powers explicitly given to the president

informal powers

powers necessary to carry out the formal powers

treaty

agreement between countries that the president has the power to make, requires 2/3 senate ratification

veto

formal rejection of a bill by the president

pocket veto

informal veto when the president doesn't sign a bill within ten days, during a time when congress has adjourned at the end of session.

executive privilege

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

signing statement

written comments issues by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consist of political statements, reasons for signing the bill or interpretation of the law

executive order

policy directives issues by presidents that don't require congressional approval

impeachment

process of removing a president from office, majority vote in House, trial in senate with 2/3 vote necessary to convict and remove.

executive office of the president

Provides the president with support to govern effectively (initiates legislation, more delegated powers granted by congress, focus of public attention, large staff directly working for the president)

bully pulpit

appeal to the public to pressure other branches of government to support their policies

federal judiciary

branch of federal government whose role is to interpret and apply the laws of the nation

supreme court

highest court of the US

original jurisdiction

court has the authority to hear a case first

appellate jurisdiction

court has the authority to review a decision of a lower court and overturn\revise that decision

federalist no 78

written by hamilton about how justices would stand apart from politics, rely on other branches for enforcement and would only judge and not be a threat to liberty

marbury v madison

granting the supreme court the power to issue a writ of mandamus was unconstitutional and found that the supreme court has the authority to review legislative or executive acts to find them unconstitutional

judicial review

courts have the authority to determine the legitimacy of actions of the legislative and executive branches

federal district courts

trial courts in the federal system, handles most of the work; original jurisdiction, 94 in total

federal court of appeals

appellate jurisdiction only; reviews decisions made by district courts, 13 in total

precedent

acts as a basis for future decisions of similar circumstances

stare decisis

when decisions establish a precedent

majority opinion

binding supreme court opinion, serves as a precedent for future cases

concurring opinion

an opinion that agrees with the majority opinion but is written to express a particular judge's reasoning

dissenting opinion

an opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion

judicial restraint

philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should be cautious when overturning laws, defer to the judgement of the legislative and executive branches

judicial activism

philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies to make sure other branches don't trample over peoples rights and liberties

federal bureaucracy

the departments and agencies within the executive branch that write rules and procedures that implement laws passed by congress

bureaucrat

officially employed within government agencies

iron triangle

the idea that the house, senate and bureaucracy all work together and make decisions to help each other

bureaucratic discretion

bureaucrats have some power to decide how a law is implemented

regulation

process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical details of a law

bureaucratic adjudication

bureaucracy acts as a court to settle disputes between parties