Unit 2 Gov Vocab Part 2

Majority Opinion: expresses the majority opinion in a Supreme Court case.

Mark up: committee action to amend a proposed bill.

Merit System: system of hiring federal workers based on competitive exams.

Open rule: House Rules Committee procedure 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.

Pork Barrel: wasteful congressional spending.

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.

Revolving Door: the cycle  in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual’s sense of loyalty.

Rider amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill; can only occur in Senate.

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

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.

Shaw v. Reno: Supreme Court ruling that House districts cannot be drawn according to race; districts must comply with Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Spoils System: patronage

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.