AP US Gov Unit 2

Bicameral legislature

A lawmaking body made up of two chambers (the House of Representatives and the Senate).

Constituency

The group of voters or residents that a specific elected official represents.

Incumbent Leaders

People in office who steer the key branches of the United States Government include the executive administration, congressional leadership, and judicial heads.

Apportionment

The process of distributing House seats among states based on population changes measured by the census.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district boundaries by state legislatures every ten years.

Gerrymandering

Redrawing district lines to favor one political party or candidate over another.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Supreme Court case establishing the "one person, one vote" principle, allowing federal courts to review redistricting.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Supreme Court case ruling that congressional districts cannot be drawn solely based on race.

Delegate model

A voting model where representatives act strictly as the mouthpiece for their constituents' immediate wishes.

Politico model

A hybrid voting model where representatives balance constituent desires with party goals and personal judgment.

Standing committee

A permanent committee that handles specific policy areas, such as the House Ways and Means Committee.

Select committee

A temporary committee created for a limited time and specific purpose.

Joint committee

A committee that includes members from both the House and the Senate.

Conference committee

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

Filibuster

A procedural tactic in the Senate where a senator speaks indefinitely to delay or prevent a vote on a bill.

Cloture

A Senate rule requiring 60 votes to cut off debate and end a filibuster.

Discharge petition

A House procedure to force a bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote without leadership approval.

Logrolling

Vote trading among lawmakers to support each other's bills.

Pork barrel spending

Funding inserted into federal bills specifically to finance localized projects for a representative's home district.

Formal powers

Powers explicitly granted to the president by Article II of the Constitution (e.g., veto, commander in chief, making treaties).

Trustee model

A voting model where representatives use their own independent judgment and conscience to decide how to vote.

Informal powers

Powers not explicitly written in the Constitution but derived from practice, custom, and tradition (e.g., executive orders, executive agreements, bargaining).

Veto / Pocket veto

The formal constitutional power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress; the informal killing of a bill by not signing within 10 days.

Executive order

A directive issued by the president that carries the force of law without congressional approval.

Executive agreement

An international agreement made by the president with foreign leaders that does not require Senate ratification.

Bully pulpit

A term popularized by Theodore Roosevelt describing the presidency as a platform to pitch ideas and directly appeal to the public.

Federalist No. 70

Alexander Hamilton’s essay arguing for a single, energetic, and unified executive branch to ensure accountability and swift action.

Original jurisdiction

The authority of a court to hear a case first.

Appellate jurisdiction

The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts.

Judicial review

The power of the courts to declare legislative and executive actions unconstitutional.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

The landmark Supreme Court case that officially established the principle of judicial review.

Federalist No. 78

Alexander Hamilton’s essay defending lifetime tenure for federal judges to secure an independent judiciary.

Precedent (Stare decisis)

The legal principle of determining outcomes in current cases based on past judicial rulings.

Judicial activism

When judges boldly reinterpret laws to address societal changes

Judicial restraint

When judges strictly defer to the literal text of the Constitution and historical precedent.

Federal bureaucracy

The thousands of federal agencies, departments, and commissions tasked with executing federal laws and programs.

Merit system / Patronage system

Employment based on competitive exams and qualifications rather than who supported the president's campaign.

Pendleton Act (1883)

The law that mandated federal civil service hiring based on merit instead of political loyalty.

Iron triangle

A mutually dependent policymaking relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group.

Discretionary authority

The power given to bureaucratic agencies to create specific rules and enforcement guidelines when laws passed by Congress are broad or vague