Unit 3: The Legislative Branch & Congress Flashcard Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering congressional apportionment, redistricting rules, Supreme Court cases, legislative roles and models, congressional leadership, committee functions, procedural rules, budgeting, and oversight.

Apportionment

The distribution of $435$ House seats among states based on $10$-year census population data.

Malapportionment

Drawing voting districts with unequal populations, creating unfair representation.

Congressional District

A geographically defined area represented by a House member.

Equal Population (Redistricting Rule)

The "one person, one vote" principle requiring that voting districts must have equal inhabitants.

Contiguity (Redistricting Rule)

The rule requiring that a voting district must be one continuous geographic piece.

Compactness (Redistricting Rule)

The rule stating that a voting district should cover a reasonable geographic shape, avoiding weird tentacles.

Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries specifically to give one political party or group an advantage.

Minority-Majority District

A district where racial or ethnic minorities make up the majority of voters, drawn to increase minority representation.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Supreme Court case that ruled federal courts can hear redistricting challenges and established the "one person, one vote" principle.

Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)

Supreme Court case that applied the "one person, one vote" principle directly to U.S. House districts.

Rucho v. Common Cause (2019)

Supreme Court case ruling that partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable by federal courts.

Redistricting Reform Measures (Ohio Issue 1 2024, TX/CA 2025)

Citizen initiatives to use independent commissions for redistricting instead of politicians.

Trustee Model

Representation model where a legislator votes based on their own judgment and conscience.

Instructed-Delegate Model

Representation model where a legislator votes strictly according to the wishes of their constituents.

Partisan Model

Representation model where a legislator votes in line with party leadership and platform position.

Politico Model

Representation model where a legislator balances trustee, delegate, and partisan models depending on the political situation.

Incumbent Advantage

The tendency of current officeholders to win re-election at high rates ($\sim 90\%$ House, $\sim 80\text{–}85\%$ Senate) due to name recognition, franking privilege, donor networks, and constituent casework.

Speaker of the House

The most powerful officer and leader in the House of Representatives; chosen by the majority party.

President of the Senate

The Vice President of the United States; votes only to break a tie in the Senate.

President Pro Tempore

Senior member of the Senate majority party who presides over the chamber when the Vice President is absent.

Majority & Minority Leaders

Floor leaders who guide party strategy and legislation in Congress.

House Majority Leader

The second-in-command leader in the House of Representatives.

House Minority Leader

The leader of the opposition party in the House of Representatives.

Senate Majority Leader

The primary strategist and scheduler in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader

The leader of the opposition party in the Senate.

Whips

Assistant leaders who count votes and enforce party discipline in Congress.

House of Representatives (Institutional Characteristics)

Chamber with $435$ members serving $2$-year terms, characterized by formal rules, strict debate limits, and the exclusive power to initiate tax/revenue bills.

Senate (Institutional Characteristics)

Chamber with $100$ members serving $6$-year terms, characterized by informal rules, unlimited debate (filibuster), and the power to confirm appointments and ratify treaties.

Standing Committee

A permanent panel that reviews and filters bills by subject area.

Subcommittee

A smaller specialized unit within a standing committee that holds hearings.

House Rules Committee

Powerful "traffic cop" panel in the House that sets debate rules and time limits for bills.

Filibuster

A Senate tactic of stalling a bill through endless speech (ref. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).

Cloture Rule (Rule 22)

A Senate vote requiring $60$ votes (a $\frac{3}{5}$ supermajority) to end a filibuster.

Reconciliation

A special fast-track budget process bypassing the filibuster with a simple majority ($51$ votes).

Markup Session

The line-by-line editing and amending of a bill within a committee.

Conference Committee

A joint committee that resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.

Pocket Veto

Process where the President kills a bill by taking no action within $10$ days while Congress adjourns.

"Dynamic" Process

Modern lawmaking that relies heavily on omnibus bills, leadership negotiation, and shortcuts rather than traditional textbook steps.

Congressional Oversight

The function by which Congress monitors executive branch agencies to ensure proper implementation of laws.

Investigation (Congressional Oversight)

Holding public committee hearings to examine scandals or administrative failure.

Subpoena

A legal order issued by Congress compelling testimony or document production.

Impeachment

The constitutional oversight process where the House brings formal charges by a majority vote and the Senate conducts a trial to remove the official by a $\frac{2}{3}$ vote.

Confirmation

The Senate's advice and consent power to approve presidential judges, cabinet secretaries, and ambassadors.

Authorization vs. Appropriation

Authorization creates a program and sets spending limits; Appropriation actually allocates federal money to fund it.

Entitlement Program

Mandatory spending for qualified individuals (e.g., Social Security, Medicare).

Fiscal Year

The $12$-month financial accounting period for the federal government (running from Oct $1$ – Sept $30$).

Fenno's Paradox

The paradox wherein Congress consistently maintains low public approval ratings (often $15\text{–}25\%$) due to partisan gridlock, yet individual members enjoy high incumbent re-election rates.