AP Government Unit 2 Terms

Advice and Consent Power

Senate power to confirm many presidential appointments and to ratify treaties (treaties require a two-thirds vote).

Bureaurcratic Discretion

The degree of flexibility and power given to administrative agencies to interpret how to enforce vague laws passed by Congress.

Bureaucracy

The network of executive departments, agencies, and offices that carry out federal policy; central to implementation and a major arena for separation-of-powers interactions.

Cabinet

an advisory body made up of the heads (secretaries) of the 15 executive departments, the vice president, and other key officials chosen by the president to help set policy and run the federal bureaucracy

Entitlement Spending

federal spending on programs that automatically provide benefits to any individuals who meet legally established eligibility requirements

Executive Agreement

An international agreement made by the president with a foreign leader that does not require Senate ratification like a formal treaty

Executive Order

A presidential directive issued to an agency in the executive branch that carries the full force of law without congressional approval

U.S. v. Nixon

Supreme Court case holding that executive privilege exists but is qualified; it cannot be used to block evidence needed for a criminal investigation.

Veto

The president’s power to reject legislation passed by Congress; Congress can override with a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and veto threats can shape bills before passage.

War Powers Act

A law intended to limit unilateral presidential military action by requiring notice to Congress and setting time constraints unless Congress authorizes continued involvement.

Pocket Veto

a formal presidential power where the president kills a bill by taking no action on it for ten days while Congress is adjourned

Rule or Regulation

a formal, binding rule created by a federal bureaucratic agency that carries the force of law

Baker v. Carr

Established the "one person, one vote" principle, allowing federal courts to review and intervene in redistricting disputes.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark Supreme Court case that established judicial review by holding that the Constitution is supreme law and courts can strike down federal laws that conflict with it.

Shaw v. Reno

Held that congressional districts drawn explicitly and solely based on race violate the Equal Protection Clause

Conference Committee

a temporary joint committee formed with members from both the House and the Senate to resolve differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill

Delegate

Voting strictly according to constituents' wishes

Filibuster

A delaying tactic used in the Senate to talk a bill to death and prevent a final vote.

Gerrymandering

The strategic manipulation of district lines to favor one political party over another.

Incumbent

The current officeholder running for reelection, who usually enjoys major fundraising and visibility advantages

Speaker of the House

Presiding officer and most powerful House leader; influences what reaches the floor, shapes committee assignments, and negotiates with the Senate and president.

Majority Leader

Top day-to-day party leader (especially in the Senate) who helps set the agenda and coordinates strategy for the majority party

Minority Leader

the chief spokesperson and floor leader for the political party that holds the minority of seats in either the House of Representatives or the Senate

Oversight Authority

Congress’s monitoring of executive agencies through hearings, investigations, information requests, and other tools to check implementation and administration.

Polarization

the growing ideological distance and divergence of political attitudes to extremes between the two major parties (Democrats and Republicans) and their supporters

Pork Barrel

Government funds directed by a legislator to local projects or programs specifically inside their home district

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district boundary lines by state legislatures following reapportionment

Trustee

Voting using one's own independent judgment and conscience

Amicus Curiae Briefs

is a written legal document filed by a person or group who is not a direct party to a case, but wants to provide extra information, arguments, or perspectives to influence the court's decision

Appellate Courts

The power of a court to review decisions made by lower courts; most Supreme Court work is appellate review.

Civil Law

is a legal system or branch of law that handles disputes between private parties regarding non-criminal rights, obligations, and relationships

District Courts

The federal trial courts where most federal cases begin; they determine facts, apply law to those facts, and issue verdicts and remedies/sentences.

Judicial Activism

The philosophy that the Supreme Court should take an active role in shaping national policies and addressing pressing societal issues

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare acts of the legislative and executive branches unconstitutional; established by Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Judicial Restraint

The philosophy that the court should strictly avoid policy-making and limit itself to interpreting the clear text of the Constitution

Holding/Majority Opinion

An official court ruling agreed on by more than half of the judges, and the holding is the specific legal rule established by that decision

Rule of Four

The informal Supreme Court rule that certiorari is granted if at least four justices vote to hear the case.

Writ of Certiorari

A request that the Supreme Court review a lower court decision; most cases reach the Court through petitions for cert.

Criminal Law

a system of law where the government charges an individual with violating specific laws that threaten public order, health, safety, or welfare