AP gov: unit 2 vocab

KEY TERMS:  INSTITUTIONS – The Judiciary

(Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams)

1. Appellate jurisdiction:  authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court.

2. Civil law:  concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties.

3. 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.

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

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

6. Injunction:  court order that forbids a party from performing a certain action.

7. Judicial activism:  philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems.

8. Judicial restraint:  philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers and stare decisis in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law.

9. Judicial review:  power of the courts to review the constitutionality of laws or government actions.  Established by the Marshall Court in Marbury v. Madison, 1803.

10. Majority opinion:  written to express the majority viewpoint in a Supreme Court case and includes the remedy imposed.

11. Original jurisdiction:  authority of a court to first hear a case.

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

13. Rule of four:  the Supreme Court will hear a case if four Justices agree to do so.

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

15. 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.

16. Writ of habeas corpus:  court order that the authorities show cause for why they are holding a prisoner in custody.  Deters unlawful imprisonment.

17. Writ of mandamus:  court order directing a party to perform a certain action.

KEY TERMS:  

Ch. 13 The Budget - Fiscal Policy

(Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams)

1. Budget deficit:  results when federal expenditures exceed federal revenues for a one year period.  

2. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – A non-partisan agency of Congress that analyzes presidential budget recommendations and estimates the cost of proposed legislation.

3. Deficit spending:  the federal government’s practice of spending more money than it takes in as revenues.

4. Deregulation:  elimination of federal regulations on private companies.

5. Discretionary Spending: Spending must receive annual Congressional authorization and makes up 1/3 of federal budget. Largest area is defense. Other examples: education, the environment, public parks, scientific research, housing, transportation, etc.

6. Entitlements:  federal benefit payments to which recipients have a legal right if they meet certain criteria, e.g., Social Security.  Also known as uncontrollables.

7. Excise tax – Consumer tax on a specific kind of merchandise, such as tobacco. Also known as “sin taxes.”

8. Federal Reserve System – The system created by Congress in 1913 to establish banking practices and regulate currency in circulation and the amount of credit available. It consists of 12 regional banks supervised by the Board of Governors. Often called simply the Fed. Chairman is appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. Serves a fixed term and can only be removed for cause.Responsible for enacting monetary policy.

9. Fiscal policy: Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending. (Congress is primarily responsible for this).

10. Mandatory Spending: Spending authorized by law and does not require annual Congressional approval. Makes up 2/3 of federal budget. Examples: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, interest on the national debt, unemployment insurance

11. Means testing:  requiring that those who receive federal benefits show a need for them usually based on income levels. For example, Medicaid and food stamps.

12. Monetary policy:  Federal Reserve Board’s regulation of the supply of money in circulation and interest rates. 

13. National debt:  total debt owed by the federal government due to past borrowing.  Also known as the public debt.  

14. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – Presidential staff agency that coordinates budget requests and management improvements for government agencies. Prepares the President’s budget.

15. Regulation – Efforts by government to alter the free operation of the market to achieve social goals such as protecting workers and the environment.

16. Progressive tax – A tax graduated so that people with higher incomes pay a larger fraction of their income than people with lower incomes.

17. Sequestration – automatic spending cuts (originally created by the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985) applied “across the board” if Congressional spending exceeded budget appropriations. Most mandatory spending programs are exempted. 

KEY TERMS:  

INSTITUTIONS: The Bureaucracy (Ch. 14) 

(Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams)

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

2. Cabinet: the highest-ranking appointed officers in the executive branch of the federal government who are the secretaries of each of the 15 executive departments. They preside over bureaucratic operations and serve as advisors to and are directly accountable to the president. 

3. Discretionary Authority/Administrative Discretion: Greatest power a bureaucrat has: agencies have the power to choose various courses of action and shape policy when Congress writes broadly-worded laws that allow for bureaucratic interpretation.

4. Government corporation: a company owned by the government and operates with the same independence of a private business. They are usually created in industries where a natural monopoly exists, it's vital to the infrastructure of the country, valuable natural resources are at stake, or there is a general public benefit at stake. Ex: Amtrak, USPS

5. Independent Executive Agency: any agency established outside of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) or the 15 cabinet departments. Since these agencies are not required to report to a higher official within the executive branch, such as a department secretary, they may be considered independent. They can only be removed for cause and are insulated from political interference by the president or other elected officials. Ex: CIA, NASA, EPA

6. Independent Regulatory Commission: established by Congress to have a certain amount of independence from the President and other elected officials. They have rule-making and regulatory authority, including the ability to “punish” via fines or penalties. Most agencies are multi-member boards and commissions and serve fixed terms. Ex: Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, FEC, SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

7. Merit system:  system of hiring federal workers based upon competitive exams administered by the OPM (Office of Personnel Management). System implemented after the passage of the Pendleton Act (1883).

8. Political appointees:  those who have received presidential appointments to office which must be confirmed by the Senate (simple majority).  Contrast with Civil Service employees, who receive federal jobs by competitive exams.

9. Red tape:  complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies.

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

KEY TERMS:  

INSTITUTIONS - CONGRESS

(Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams)

1. Appropriation:  money that Congress has allocated to be spent.

2. Appropriations Committee:  congressional committee that deals with federal spending.

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

4. Closed rule:  House Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to a bill.

5. Cloture:  Senate (ONLY) motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote.

6. Conference committee:   a committee composed of both House and Senate members to reconcile and work out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill.

7. Discharge petition:  a motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in committee. Requires a majority (218 votes) to pass.

8. Filibuster:  nonstop Senate (ONLY) debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote. A delaying or obstructionist tactic typically used by the minority party in the Senate. Can be used to block bills or presidential nominees from being confirmed. Can only be overcome with a 60 vote majority (the number needed for a cloture motion)

9. Finance Committee:  Senate committee that handles tax bills.

10. Franking privilege:  allows members of Congress to send mail postage free.

11. Gerrymandering:  redrawing (every ten years after the Census) congressional district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other. Districts are usually drawn by state legislatures, therefore the party that controls the state legislature can gerrymander districts to favor their party. Methods include: “cracking,” “packing,” or bipartisan gerrymanders.

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

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

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

15. Mark up:  committee action to amend a proposed bill.

16. Open rule:  House Rules Committee rule that allows amendments to a bill.

17. Pork barrel: appropriations of public funds by Congress for pet projects that serve the interests local districts these legislators represent, rather than the interests of the larger population. e.g. funding for a Lawrence Welk museum in North Dakota.

18. Quorum:  minimum number of members needed for the House or Senate to meet and conduct business. (218 in the House, 51 in the Senate)

19. Reapportionment:  redistribution of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the decennial census. The Census Bureau determines how many seats each state will get in the House. The number of seats is capped at 435.

20. Redistricting:  After the census (every 10 years) redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature, or (in the case of California) an independent redistricting commission.

21. Rider:  amendment to a bill (Senate only) that has little to do with that bill.  Also known as a nongermane amendment.

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

23. 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.

24. Standing committees:  the permanent congressional (both House and Senate) committees that have legislative, oversight, and investigative powers.

Ways and Means Committee:  House committee that handles tax bills.