ap gov word of the day

Limited Government

the powers and actions of govt should not be too broad or absolute

Dark Money

political spending meant to influence the decision of a voter, where the donor is not discussed and the source of the money is unknown immediately

Republicanism

the citizens elect leaders for a limited period of time and the leaders job is to make and execute laws in the public interest

Divided Government

in a presidential system, when control of the executive branch and the legislative branch is split between two parties

Popular Sovereignty

the principle that the authority of a state and it's gov are created and sustained by the consent of it's people through their elected representatives

soverignty

the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies

political efficacy

belief that an individual can trust and influence the government

incumbent

a person who is already in office and is running for reelection for the same position

Constituent

The people a member of elected office directly represent while serving in political office

ex: us for biden, portman not pres. biden for senator portman

appointment

The placement of a high level government official or judge by the president with the "advice and consent of the Senate".

unitary system

Constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government.

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

federalism

power is distributed between a central government and sub-divisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals

confederation

Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.

full faith and credit

A clause in Article IV of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgement rendered by the courts of other states.

privileges and immunities

A clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution that protects fundamental rights of individual residents and restraints state efforts to discriminate against out of state residents

executive privilege

An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or the judiciary.

bill of attainder

an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them, often without a trial

expost facto law

an act of a legislature that retroactively makes criminal conduct that was not criminal when performed or increases the punishment for crimes already committed.

discount rate

rate charged to commercial banks on loans they receive from their regional reserve Bank's ending facility

Judicial Review

the power of a court to refuse to reinforce a law of a government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the us constitution in a state court, the state constitution

Whistleblower Act

law that protects FEDERAL workers that report the possible existence of an activity constituting a violation of law, misuse of funds or a specific danger to the public

reserved powers

powers not expressly given to the federal govt. of forbidden to the states belong to the states government in the 10th amendment

commerce clause (interstate commerce)

the clause of the constitution that gives congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations

Preemption

the right of a national law or regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation

devolution

the transfer of legislative power or authority from the national govt. to the state government

national debt

the accumulation of debt from individual fiscal year deficits over time

Bureacracy

whole body of unelected and unappointed government officials in the executive branch who work for presidents and their pardon

pardon

a presidential decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction before or after the actual conviction

October Surprise

A news event that may influence the outcome of an upcoming November election (particularly one for the U.S. presidency), whether deliberately planned or spontaneously occurring.

retrospective voting

voting for or against the candidate or party in office because the voter likes or dislikes how things have gone in the past

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because one favors his or hers ideas for addressing issues after the election

inflation

the general increases in the price of goods over a period of time meaning of the purchasing power of the dollar goes down . it is generally measured by the consumer price index

recession

a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industries activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP, in two successive quarters

margin of error

the confidence in a political poll's accuracy based on the number of people that you ask

Fiscal Policy

the use of government spending and tax policies to influence economic conditions, including demand for goods and services, employment, inflation, and economic growth

monetary policy

policy adopted by the federal reserve board to control interest rate payable for borrowing and the money supply often targeting inflation to ensure price stability and general trust in currency

safe seat

elected office that is predict won by one party or the other, so the success of the party's candidate is almost taken for granted

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group or incumbent

hold

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of the bill or nomination.

logrolling

the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.

affirmative action

Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.

descriptive representation

When an elected member of the legislature looks like the people that they represent

substantive representation

when elected person does not look like the people they represent but understand the problem

franking privilege

a benefit for members of Congress to mail letters and other materials for free

Gaslighting

the act/practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage

Caucus

members of congress from one or both house of congresses who bond together and have the same characteristics for the purposes of developing and programming legislation.

omnibus bill

A piece of legislation that combines several smaller bills in one larger bill. The smaller bills may be related or unrelated, but are intended to save time and ensure the legislation passes

senatorial courtesy

legislative practice in the senate when federal district court justices

primary system

the selection of party candidates through ballots of qualified voters in state elections

pork barrel legislation

funding for government programs whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all tax payers

lame duck

a person holding office after their replacement has been elected to the office, but before the current term has ended

Congressional Oversight

power to gather info useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings and bring to the public attention the need for public attention the need for public policy

Continuing Resolution

a bill passed by Congress and signed by the president that allows the government to temporarily spend money in a fashion identical to the previous year

signing statement

informal power that informs Congress and the public of the president's interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president

bully pulpit

the ability to use the office of the presidency to promote a particular program and/or to influence Congress to accept legislative proposals

executive order

a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

Gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

rally around the flag effect

short run popular support of a president during periods of international crisis or war and results in a decrease of criticism of gov policies

rider

a unrelated amendment to an important bill that is added so the bill will get through to Congress

political capital

the amount of overall public approval that a president can use to win support for major decisions and proposals.

presidential coattails

When voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because they support the president.

Impoundment

the refusal of a president to spend money that has been apportioned by congress

line-item veto

presidential power to strike or remove specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package

inner cabinet

members of the cabinet who wield influence with the president because they head departments that are concerned with national issues

No Child Left Behind Act

2002 law that said states must adopt national education accountability standards, annually, test students and sanctioned schools that fail to meet adequate yearly progress.

Hatch Act

Act barring federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds.

iron triangle

the relationship between congress, government agencies, and interest groups. This helps create policy in the united states and all United States and all 3 parts want to protect their own self interests.

issue network

an alliance of various individuals, interest groups, members of the media and/others who unite for the purpose of influencing government or public policy in favor of a common cause or agenda

Pendleton civil services act

act that created a federal civil service so that hiring promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage

discretionary authority

the ability of appointed bureaucrats to make policies not spelled out in advance by laws

Law Clerk

An assistant to a judge, typically a recent law-school graduate, whose function is to do legal research, help write opinions, and provide general assistance.

solicitor general

a presidential appointee who is in charge of the appellate court litigation of the federal government. (third ranking)

precedent

A decision made by a higher court such as a circuit court of appeals or the Supreme Court that is binding on all other federal courts to follow.

dual court system

the existence of the 50 state judicial systems (responsible for state and local disputes) and one national judicial systems (responsible for national disputes)

criminal law

the body of law that defines offenses against society regulates the apprehension, charging

civil law

the body of laws that delineate private rights and remedies, and govern disputes between individuals in such areas as contracts , property and family law

common law

a body of unwritten laws based on legal precedents established by the courts

legislative court

A lower federal court created by Congress for specialized purposes. These justices have fixed terms of office, can be removed from office, and may have their salaries reduced while in office.

litmus test

A test of ideological purity used by recent presidents in selecting and senators in confirming judges to nominate to federal courts.

rule of four

the minimum number of justices needing to agree to have the entire supreme court to hear and issue a decision on a case before them

stare decisis

doctrine where a previous decision by a court is applied in similar cases until that decision is overruled.

judicial activism

philosophy used by judges to describe the actions of judges who go beyond their constitutionality prescribed duties of applying the law to the facts of individual cases, and "legislate" from the bench.

per curiam opinion

A brief, unsigned opinion issued by the Supreme Court to explain its ruling.

Amicus cruiae brief

document filed by an individual or organization to present arguments to the supreme court to influence their decision in a case they have an interest.

section 230

a provision of federal law that protects internet web hosts and users from legal liability for online info provided by third parties

de facto segregation

as result of custom, circumstance, or personal choice, groups of people in society are separated

de jure segregation

as a result of laws passed by the government, groups of people in society are separated

selective incorporation

The process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights are brought within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applied to state and local governments.

prior restraint

government censorship of free expression by preventing publication or speech before it takes place

metadata

all the cell phone communication information minus the actual conversation; that is who is calling whom, when, and for how long

due process

a person who will be affected by a government decision must be given advance notice of what the government plans to do and how the governments action may deprive them of life, liberty or property

social movement

a loosely organized that uses unconventional and often disruptive tactics to have their grievances heard by the public, the news/media, and government leaders

miranda rule

Requirement that police inform suspects that they have a right to remain silent and a right to have counsel while being interrogated. Failure to inform suspects of their rights will result in any confession or evidence thus obtained being inadmissible against them at trial.

Libertarianism

a political ideology that believes all matter should be up to the individual and or states with the exception of issues of foreign policy and national security

Liberalism

an ideology that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity by using government to encourage social and political change in order to achieve progress.

political culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.

Political Socialization

The process by which a person develops their political attitudes, values, and beliefs.