American Government CLEP - 2022 Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards of key terms and concepts

Pluralist Theory

Public policies emerge from compromises reached among competing groups.

Senatorial Courtesy

The practice whereby individual senators can veto federal judicial nominations in their respective states.

Reciprocity in Congress

The passage of legislation in Congress often depends on mutual accommodations among members.

Stare decisis

The judicial principle of following precedents that were established in previous court decisions

Judicial Activism

The attempts by judges to influence public policy through their case decisions

Incumbency

The single most important variable in determining the outcome of an election for a member of the House of Representatives in the past 30 years.

Federalism

The Constitution divides power between a central government and its constituent governments, with some powers being shared.

Delegated Authority

The passage of broad legislation that leaves the making of specific rules to the executive branch

Gerrymandering

The redrawing of congressional districts in such a way as to give special advantage to one political party

Life tenure during good behavior

The framers of the original Constitution thought that this would best protect judicial independence

Federal Reserve Board

The agency that determines the domestic monetary policy of the United States

Midterm Congressional Elections

The party of the president typically lost seats in Congress, regardless of whether the president was a Republican or a Democrat.

Locke

The political philosopher who most influenced the writing of the United States Constitution

Gender Gap

The differences between the political attitudes of men and women

Checks and balances

James Madison's goal of setting power against power to minimize the concentration of authority in any one branch of government

Agenda Setting

The ability of the media to define the importance of particular events and issues

Marbury v. Madison

The Supreme Court case in which the power of judicial review was established

Progressive Era Reforms

This led to the weakening of political parties

Liberalism

Posits that government power should be used to promote individual economic security and redistribute resources, but rejects the notion that government should favor a particular set of social values.

Administrative discretion

Federal administrative agencies have substantial influence over public policy through this

Full Faith and Credit Clause

States, according to this clause of the Constitution, must honor public records, acts, and judicial proceedings of every other state

Bully Pulpit

The action that gives the president an advantage over Congress in promoting policy, utilizing the media

Political Culture

The shared attitudes of a people regarding government.

Political Party Affiliation

The strongest determinant of an individual's voting behavior

Griswold v. Connecticut

The Supreme Court case in which established the precedent that a right to privacy stems from several amendments in the Bill of Rights

Divided government

One political party controlling the presidency while another political party controls one or both houses of Congress

Federalism

The Supreme Court's decision in Arizona v. United States (2012), which held that Congress, not the states, has the sole authority to regulate immigration, best illustrates this feature of the Constitution

Selective Incorporation

The Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), which upheld the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, best exemplifies the doctrine of

Entitlement Programs

Social Security and Medicare are considered this because citizens who meet the criteria are legally able to receive these benefits

Litigation in the Federal Courts

During the Civil Rights era, when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was unsuccessful at traditional lobbying techniques, they turned to this strategy to influence public policy

Writ of Certiorari

When the Supreme Court grants this, it means the Court will review a case decided by a lower court