UGA POLS 1101 Midterm 2 Review Nicholson

affirmative action

programs that expand opportunities in employment/education for groups who had previously been discriminated

benign discrimination

discrimination that does not cause any harm (only people above 16 can get their license)

black codes

laws passed by southern states to restrict the freedom of black people

Brown vs Board of Education

1954- court decision that declared state laws segregating schools to be unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Civil war ammendments

13, 14, 15

de facto segregation

Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice

de jure segregation

segregation by law

desegregation

The ending of authorized segregation, or separation by race

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

constitutional amendment passed by Congress but never ratified that would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender

invidious discrimination

discrimination against persons or groups that works to their harm and is based on animosity

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Protectionism

the idea that women had to be shielded from life's cruelty, part of why limited women's rights

Plessy vs. Ferguson

(1896) The Court ruled that segregation was not discriminatory (did not violate black civil rights under the Fourteenth Amendemnt) provide that blacks received accommodations equal to those of whites (separate but equal)

redlining

A process by which banks draw lines on a map and refuse to lend money to purchase or improve property within the boundaries.

Regents of the UC vs Bakke

ruled that racial quotas were unconstitutional for admissions, but affirmative action was constitutional in some cases

Systemic Racism

Racism directed against a group of people through an institution's rules and policies

United States vs Virginia

public institution cannot discriminate based on gender

United States vs Windsor

decision that declared Americans in same-sex marriages had the same federal rights as all other married citizens

casework

the work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem

cloture

a procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate

conference committee

special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

constituents

the residents of a congressional district or state

delegate

a legislator who has to vote based on their constituent's views, regardless of their own

descriptive representation

the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents (sex, ethnicity, religion)

earmarks

federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress

filibuster

a lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate

gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

hold

a letter requesting a bill be hold from the floor debate

impeachment

formal charging of a government official with a high crime/misdemeanor

incumbent

the current officeholder seeking reelection

joint committee

legislative committee composed of members of both the House of Representative and the Senate

majority leader

The head of the majority party in the Senate; the second-highest ranking member of the majority party in the House.

oversight

reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as Congress intended

parliamentary system

system of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition

racial gerrymandering

The drawing of election districts so as to ensure that members of a certain race are a minority in the district

reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population (House of Representative), after every census

select committee

a congressional committee appointed for a limited time and specific purpose

seniority

time of continuous service on a committee

speaker of the house

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

standing committee

a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

trustee

a legislator who is allowed to use their best judgement to make the best decisions for their constituents

veto

the president formally rejecting a bill passed by congress; can be overturned by 2/3 of both houses

bully pulpit

the ability to use the office of the presidency to promote a particular program and/or to influence Congress to accept legislative proposals

cabinet

a group of officials who head government departments and advise the President

delegation of powers

process by which Congress gives the president the additional authority needed to address new problems

divided government

one party controls the White House and the other controls at least one house of Congress

executive agreement

A pact between the heads of two countries that does not require Senate ratification

executive office of the president (EOP)

the president's executive aides and their staffs; the extended White House executive establishment

executive order

A rule issued by the president that has the force of law

gridlock

a situation in which government is incapable of acting on important issues

executive privilege

the right of a president to maintain confidential executive branch communications in some circumstances, declaring immunity from subpoenas and information requests made by Congress and the courts

inherent powers

inferred powers claimed by the president that are not stated in the Constitution

legislative liason staff

people who act as the communications link between the White House and Congress, advising the president or cabinet secretaries on the status of pending legislation

national security directive (NSD)

A highly classified presidential order that guides national security policy

pardon

presidential power to release persons accused or convicted of a federal crime from all or part of their punishment

pocket veto

A veto that takes effect when the president does not act on a bill and Congress adjourns within ten days

presidential memorandum

Presidential directive that can reverse an existing regulation

proclamation

a presidential statement that is usually ceremonial but may declare a president's intention to use his formal or delegated powers

signing statement

A written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law

treaty

legal agreement between two or more countries

war powers resolution

a resolution of Congress that the president can send troops into action abroad only by authorization of Congress, or if American troops are already under attack or serious threat

white house office (WHO)

A subunit of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the core of the presidential staff system in that it includes the president's closest and most trusted personal advisors.

Trump vs the United States

a former president has "absolute immunity" for certain official acts performed as part of their constitutional duties. for other actions, a former president would only have "presumptive immunity," meaning that the prosecution could proceed if it could overcome this presumption

agency advisory committee

a formal group of people drawn from communities that a government agency serves to help the agency solve problems and hold it accountable for its work.

bureaucracy

An organization that administers or carries out a set of activities

bureaucratic discretion

ability of bureaucrats to use their professional judgment when deciding how to carry out a policy

bureaucrats

employees of a bureaucracy

civil service

most appointments to the federal bureaucracy are made to ensure that government jobs are filled on the basis of merit and that employees are not fired for political reason

coproduction

individual people in communities whom government bureaucracies serve coming forward and working with bureaucrats to help them carry out their work

critical tasks

actions that bureaucrats need to perform to help the bureaucracy address the key issues for which it is designed

departments

biggest units of the executive branch, covering a broad area of government responsibility. The heads of the departments, or secretaries, are members of the president's cabinet.

executives

Top-level bureaucrats responsible for entire bureaucracies or major parts of them who make strategic decisions

fire alarm oversight

Congressional oversight of a bureaucracy that is reactive and indirect

government corporations

Government agencies that perform services that might be provided by the private sector but that either involve insufficient financial incentive or are better provided when they are somehow linked with government

incrementalism

Policymaking characterized by a series of decisions, each instituting modest change.

independent agencies

executive agencies not part of the cabinet department

managers

Mid-level bureaucrats who lead parts of government bureaucracies by overseeing programs, budgets, and personnel

operators

Front-line bureaucrats who have the most direct contact with the daily work of their organization

What is the hierarchy of bureaucrats?

operators --> managers --> executives

organizational culture

How bureaucrats think about critical tasks and human relationships within their bureaucracy

political patrol oversight

a method of oversight in which members of congress constantly monitor the bureaucracy to make sure that laws are implemented correctly

red tape

Rules and other constraints that democracies demand that restrict bureaucrats' behavior

regulations

Administrative rules that guide the operation of a government program.

regulatory commissions

Agencies of the executive branch of government that control or direct some aspect of the economy

representative bureaucracy

government bureaucracies with bureaucrats who share personal characteristics with the communities they serve are more likely to represent the interests of those communities

rulemaking

administrative process that results in the issuance of regulations by government agencies.

satisficing

Making a decision that is acceptable and good enough to get a job done

sense of mission

condition of having agreement among bureaucrats about the critical tasks and key human relationships that should operate in a bureaucracy

standing

condition of having a direct interest in a case before a court

strategic triangle

approach to leadership whereby managers and executives of bureaucracies articulate public value, secure external legitimacy, and maintain capabilities for their organizations to succeed

amicus curae briefs

A brief filed (with the permission of the court) by an individual or group that is not a party to a legal action but has an interest in it

appellate jurisdiction

authority of a court to hear cases that have been tried, decided, or reexamined in other courts

argument

the heart of a judicial opinion; its logical content separated from facts, rhetoric, and procedure

civil cases

Court cases that involve a private dispute (accidents/divorce)

common law

Legal precedents derived from previous judicial decisions

concurrence

the agreement of a judge with the majority decision for a reason other than the majority reason

criminal cases

court cases involving a crime, or violation of public order

dissent

disagreement of a judge with a majority decision

docket

court's agenda/calendar