unit 4 gov

Appropriation

money that Congress has allocated to be spent.

Appropriations Committee

congressional committee that deals with federal spending.

Appellate jurisdiction

authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court.

Bureaucracy

departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions in the executive branch of government.

Casework

personal work done by a member of Congress for his constituents.

Civil law

concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties.

Class action lawsuit

lawsuit brought on behalf of a class of people against a defendant, e.g., lawsuits brought by those who have suffered from smoking against tobacco companies.

Closed rule

Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to bill.

Cloture

Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote.

Concurring opinion

written by a Supreme Court Justice who voted with the majority, but for different reasons.

Conference committee

works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill.

Constituents

the people who are represented by elected officials.

Discharge petition

a motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in a committee.

Dissenting opinion

written by Supreme Court Justice (or Justices) who express a minority viewpoint in a case.

Executive agreement

an agreement between the President and another head of state that, unlike a treaty, does not require Senate consent.

Executive order

presidential rule or regulation that has the force of law.

Executive privilege

the privilege of a President and his staff to withhold their “privileged” conversations from Congress or the courts.

Filibuster

nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote.

Finance Committee

Senate committee that handles tax bills.

Franking privilege

allows members of Congress to send mail postage free.

Gerrymandering

redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other.

Hold

Senate maneuver that allows a Senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment.

Impeachment

House action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing.

Impoundment

refusal of a President to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress.

Injunction

court order that forbids a party from performing a certain action.

Judicial activism

philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems.

Judicial restraint

philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making laws.

Judicial review

power of the courts to review the constitutionality of laws or government actions.

Legislative oversight

ongoing process of congressional monitoring of executive branch to ensure that the latter complies with the law.

Legislative veto

process in which Congress overturned rules and regulations proposed by executive branch agencies. Struck down in 1983.

Line item vote

power of most governors (and President Clinton for only a few years) to delete or reduce funding in a bill on a line by line basis.

Logrolling

when two members of Congress agree to vote for each other’s bill.

Majority opinion

written to express the majority viewpoint in a Supreme Court case.

Mark up

committee action to amend a proposed bill.

Merit system

system of hiring federal workers based upon competitive exams.

Open rule

House Rules Committee rule that allows amendments to a bill.

Original jurisdiction

authority of a court to first hear a case.

Patronage

power to appoint loyal party members to federal positions.

Pocket veto

presidential killing of a bill by inaction after Congress adjourns.

Political appointees

those who have received presidential appointments to office. Contrast with Civil Service employees, who receive federal jobs by competitive exams.

Pork barrel

wasteful congressional spending, e.g. funding for a Lawrence Welk museum in North Dakota.

Quorum

minimum number of members needed for the House or Senate to meet.

Reapportionment

reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census.

Redistricting

redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature.

Red tape

complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies.

Remand

the Supreme Court’s sending of a case back to the original court in which it was heard.

Rider

amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill. Also known as a nongermane amendment.

Rule of four

the Supreme Court will hear a case if four Justices agree to do so.

Rules Committee

the “traffic cop” of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill.

Senatorial courtesy

tradition in which the President consults with the senators within a state in which an appointment is to be made.

Seniority system

tradition in which the Senator from the majority party with the most years of service on a committee becomes the chairman of that committee.

Spoils system

see patronage above.

Standing committees

the permanent congressional committees that handle legislation.

Signing Statements

Presidential Signing Statements are used to forward the President's interpretation of the statutory language, assert the constitutional objections of bills when they are passed, and to announce that the provisions of the law will be administered in a manner that comports with the administration's view of the law.

Stare decisis

Latin for “let the decision stand.” Supreme Court policy of following precedent in deciding cases.

Sunset laws

laws that automatically expire after a given time.

Ways and Means Committee

House committee that handles tax bills

Whistleblower

an employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government or one of its contractors.

Writ of certiorari

issued by the Supreme Court to a lower court to send up the records of a case so that it can be reviewed by the high court.

Writ of habeas corpus

court order that the authorities show cause for why they are holding a prisoner in custody. Deters unlawful imprisonment.

Writ of mandamus

court order directing a party to perform a certain action.