AP US Government and Politics: Unit II Vocabulary

For my own personal use; may not pertain to what you, personally, have learned in your course.

Enumerated Powers

Powers of the president expressly granted in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Language in Article I, Section 8, granting Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

Checks and Balances

Principle that ascertains that each branch of government should be able to “check” each other so as to balance it.

Bicameralism

The principle of keeping two separate houses, e.g Congress with the House and Senate.

Speaker of the House

The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

President of the Senate

The Vice President; tie breaking vote.

Senate Majority Leader

The person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats.

Filibuster

A tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation.

Cloture Holds

A filibuster used to stop a cloture vote (a cloture would put a time limit on the debate).

Committee of the Whole

Consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation.

Discharge Petitions

A motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

Discretionary Spending

Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president.

Mandatory Spending

Spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget.

Pork Barrel Legislation/Logrolling

(a) Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.
(b) Trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.

Paritsanship

Allying with one specific party.

Gridlock

A slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship.

Gerrymandering

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Divided Government

A situation that occurs when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is split between the two major parties.

Trustee

The idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment.

Veto (Including Pocket Veto)

(a) Formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress.
(b) An informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session.

Commander in Chief

The President.

Executive Order

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

Nomination

22nd Amendment

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

Bully Pulpit

Presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies.

Judicial Review

The authority of the Supreme Court to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the Constitution.

Precedent/Stare Decisis

(a) A judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases.
(b) The practice of letting a previous legal decision stand.

Judicial Activism

A philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies.

Judicial Restraint

A philosophy of constitutional interpretation that asserts justices should be cautious in overturning laws.

Iron Triangles/Issue Networks

(a) Coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.
(b) webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.