AP gov unit 2 vocab

whips

responsible for knowing how many votes their party policy has

filibuster

allows minority party to delay passage of bills, requires closure vote to end (60 votes)

discharge petition

pulls a stalled bill out of committee, requires 218 votes (half majority)

power of the purse

allows for the raise of revenue through taxes and approve the spending of public/government funds

committee of the whole

allows the House to do business with 100 members ruler

rules committee

determines debate procedures on floor and heavily influenced by speaker

mandatory spending

already spent but doesn’t know how much (social security, medicare, medicaid)

discretionary spending

block, categorical grants, congress has to fight and negotiate on these spendings

congressional oversight

congress’s implied powers, congressional powers have the power to investigate and review; examine the actions of the executive branch agencies

malapprotionment

uneven distribution of population or voters across legislative districts, meaning individual votes carry unequal political weight

baker v carr

SCOTUS ruled that appointment questions are justiciable in the courts and not strictly political questions, based on the fourteenth amendments equal protection clause, led to future cases

wesberry v sanders

SCOTUS ruled US congressional districts much be roughly equal in population, based on article 1 of constitution

reynolds v sims

SCOTUS ruled state legislative district must be roughly equal in population, states cannot model their senates on the US senate rule of two per state, not about district size, about people

gerrymandering

process of altering voting districts to give one group a district numerical advantage

racial gerrymandering

represents a more difficult quandary - gave African Americans a voting district but the lines were sparking debate, can be remedied in the courts, but partisan gerrymandering is non-justiciable

shaw v reno

considered North Carolinas “I-85” district, SCOTUS prohibited districts that are so “bizarre” in shape that they must solely be based on race, SCOTUS applied a strict scrutiny standard in equal protection class of the fourteenth amendment

allen v milligan

original district lines are okay but combine districts to show no discrimination

louisiana v callas

the lines need to show that they dilute the power of black votes

delegate model

“do what I told you”

trustee model

“I don’t know - do what you think is best”

politico model

“do what you think is best, unless I don’t want to do that”pppoa

appointment

agreed arrangement to meet someone at a specific time and place, official placement of a person

bully pulpit

president sends messages to the people

judicial activism

judges make rulings based on personal political views

judicial restraint

reviewing original intent of laws