Kaarten: Ch 6 - Political institutions - The federal government | Quizlet

Articles of Confederation

The first US constitution (1781-88). It established a loose league of independent states under a weak central government. The one-house legislature lacked significant power and had to ask the states for everything, from military forces to money for operating expenses.

popular sovereignty

The idea that "the people" are the power behind government. Since the people created the government, they can alter or replace it.

"reserved" powers

The powers the 10th Amendment in the Constiution that are reserved to the states or people, for instance traffic law and education.

filibuster

An attempt to defeat a bill by talking until its supporters withdraw it so that other business can be finished.

the separation of powers

The division of powers between the legislative (Congress and support agencies), executive (the president and executive bureaucracy), and judicial (the US Supreme Court and other federal courts) branches.

winner-takes-all system

A system where a state gives all its electoral college votes to the candidate who won the most votes in that state.

a two-party region

A region which is not entirely dominated by one party.

Citizens United

A 2010 Supreme Court case where the court held that corporations have the same First Amendment rights to freedom of expression as individuals, also regarding contributions to campaign communications, including advertisements and films.

"third" parties

Independent candidates and minor or splinter parties. Although they have a long history, they seldom win elections above local and regional elections.

Speaker of the House

The majority party in the House of Representatives chooses a Speaker of the House to lead the representatives. The speaker influences the assignment of members and bills to committees, decides which bills come up for a vote and determines who speaks during debate. In addition, the speaker chooses the party's members on the Rules Committee.

majority leader

The Speaker of the House's next in command. Also a whip to help round up votes.

presidential caucuses

Party meetings. Held in 15 states (the rest hold primaries), the presidential caucuses are part of the way political parties select their presidential candidate.

"unitary executive"

The view that the executive branch should not be subject to congressional oversight (inspection) and that the president and his high-level appointees should be able to hire and fire government officials without senatorial interference.

reapportionment

The reassigning of the number of House seats to each state after every ten-year federal census.

judicial review

Refers to federal Supreme Court's role as final interpreter of the US constitution. The court decides what government activity is permissible on any level. The Supreme Court only rules in legal charges that have emerged from a lower court.

presidential debates

Televised live debates (three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate) that offer the candidates a chance to contact a mass audience.

presidential appointments

The president nominates the highest officials in the executive branch: the secretaries and assistant secretaries who lead the departments, the chief administrators of agencies and commissions and the ranking officers of American embassies. The president also nominates federal judges such as justices of the Supreme Court. The Senate must confirm appointments listed above, but the president can appoint 2,000 high-level positions in the executive branch.

presidential veto

A president can veto bills. There are two ways to put down a presidential veto: 1) With a veto message the president gives his/her objections to a bill. 2) With a so-called pocket veto the president can choose not to act on bills that come to the White House within ten days of the adjournment of Congress. Congress may override the president's veto with a two-thirds majority vote.

"necessary and proper" clause

The term comes from Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. This has allowed the federal government to expand its powers to include those that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the other powers granted to the federal government in the Constitution. In practice, therefore, government activity in the US today falls into three categories: that exercised by the states alone, that exercised by the national government alone, and that shared by both levels of government.

Electoral College

The body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice-president. Each state is allotted a number of members in the college equal to their number of representatives and senators in Congress.

original jurisdiction

This refers to the first court hearing in federal cases. Most cases are held in the different District Courts. The next court level is the US courts of appeals. The US Supreme Court, however, has the original jurisdiction in cases involving a state or officials of the federal government.

primary and caucus elections

The two ways political parties organize the election of their presidential candidates. Both procedures are indirect: Party voters choose delegates to the party's national convention and give these delegates the authority to make its official nomination of a candidate. 35 states hold primaries and 15 states hold caucus elections.

divided government

When one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress