| A | B |
|---|
| bicameral legislature | a legislature with two houses--such as the House and the Senate |
| caucus | a closed meeting of members of a political party to discuss matters of public policy and political strategy, and in some cases, to select candidates for office |
| cloture | the procedure to stop filibuster, which requires a supermajority of 60 votes |
| conference committee | an AD HOC committee of House and Senate members formed to resolve the differences in a bill that passes each body with different provisions |
| Conservative Coalition | the Conservative Coalition appears when a majority of southern Democrats vote with the majority of Republicans against a majority of northern Democrats |
| constituent service | favors members of Congress do for constituents--usually in the form of help in dealing with the federal bureaucracy |
| divided government | when the president is of one party and the other party has the majority in at least on house of Congress |
| filibuster | the tactic of stallin a bill in the Senate by talking endlessly about the bill in order to win changes in it or kill it |
| fire-alarm oversight | congressional oversight hearings designed to investigate a problem after it has become highly visible |
| franking privilege | the rigt of a member of Congress to send official mail without paying postage |
| gerrymandering | drawing congressional district boundaries to favor one party over the other |
| home style | the way in which members of Congress present themselves to their constituents in the district |
| midterm elections | the congressional elections that take place midway through a president's four-year term |
| police-patrol oversight | congressional oversight hearings designed to take a wide-ranging look for possible problems |
| policy oversight | efforts by Congress to see that the legislation it passes is implemented, that the expected results have come about, and whether new laws are needed |
| Reapportionment | the redistribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states, which occurs every ten years following the census, so that the size of each state's delegation is proportional to its share of the total population |
| select committee | congressional committees that typically are created for only specific lengths of time and that lack authority to report legislation |
| seniority rule | the congressional norm of making the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on a committee the chair of that committee |
| single-member districts | a legislative district in which only one legislator is elected |
| standing committee | a permanent comittee in Congress with jurisdiction over a specified policy area, such a committee has tremendous say over the details of legislation within its jurisdiction |
| subcommittees | the smaller units of a standing committee that oversee one part of the committee's jurisdiction |
| turnover | change in membership of Congress between elections |
| bargaining strategy | direct negotiations the White House conducts with other political actors, such as members of Congress and leaders of interest groups, that attempt to reach mutually beneficial agreements |
| central legislative clearance | the power the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 granted to the president to create a package of legislative proposals and budgets for congressional consideration |
| divided government | when the president is of one party and the other party has a majority in at least one house of Congress |
| electoral college | the body of electors, whose composition is determined by the results of the general elections, that chooses the president and vice president; to win in the electoral college, candidates must secure a majority of the electoral vote |
| enumerated powers | powers explicitly identified in the text of the Constitution |
| executive order | a presidential directive to an agency of the federal government that tells the agency to take some specified action |
| frontloading | the decision states make to move their primaries and caucuses to earlier dates to increase their impact on the nomination process |
| going public strategy | direct presidential appeals to the public for support; presidents use public support to pressure other political actors to accept their policies |
| impeachment | formally charging a government official with having committed "treasons, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors;" officials convicted of such charges are removed from office |
| implied powers | governmental powers not enumerated in the Constitution; authority the government is assumed to have in order to carry out its enumerated powers |
| independent expenditures | funds raised and spent without contact with the supported candidate |
| midterm elections | the congressional elections that take place midway through a president's four-year term |
| neutral competence | the belief that staff members (usually career civil servents) should be able to work competently for any president, regardless of partisan affiliation or policy preferences and without advocating the policies of individual presidents |
| one hundred days | a benchmark period for assessing a new president's performance based on the first three months of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, when he gained passage over a dozen major bills as part of his New Deal agenda |
| pocket veto | the power of the president to veto a bill passed during the last ten days of a session of Congress simply by failing to sign it |
| progressive movement | an early twentieth-century political movement that sought to advance the public interest by reducing the power of political parties in the selection of candidates and the administration of government |
| soft money | expenditures political parties make during an election for any activity that serves the purpose of increasing voter turnout |
| unit rule | a winner-take-all system which requires that the candidate with the most popular votes receive all of the state's electoral votes |
| advice and consent | refers to the provision in Article II of the Constitution that requires the president to gain the Senate's approval of appointees to a variety of government positions |
| bureaucracy | in general usage, the set of government agencies that carries out government policies; the bureaucracy is characterized by formalizing structures, specialized duties, a hierarchical system of authority, routine record-keeping, and a permanent staff |
| bureaucrats | a term used generally to identify anyone who works within a large, formal organization; more specifically, it refers to career civil service employees of the government |
| cabinet | an informal designation that refers to the collective body of individuals appointed by the president to head the executive departments; the cabinet can, but rarely does, function as an advisory body to the president |
| civil serice | the method by chich most government employeed have been hired, promoted, and fired since the 1880's; personnel decisions are based on merit, or the competence of the individual to do the job, rather than the individual's political loyalties |
| clientele | the recipients of the services of government agency's programs provide |
| expertise | specialized knowledge acquired through work experience or training and education |
| iron triangles | the alliance of a government agency, congressional committee or subcommittee, and policitcal interest group for the purpose of directing government policy within the agency's jurisdiction to the mutual benefit of the three partners |
| issue networks | a loose collection of groups or people in and out of government who interact on a policy issue on the basis of their interest and knowledge rather than just on the basis of economic interests |
| patronage | the practice of rewarding partisan suppoorters with government job; also known as the spoils system |
| rule adjudication | determining whether an agency's rules have been violated |
| rule administration | the core funcion of the bureaucracy--to carry out the decisions of Congress, the president, or the courts |
| rule making | formulating the rules for carrying out the programs a bureaucratic agency administers |
| spoils system | the method used to hire and fire government employees during most of the 1800's; government employeed of the new president's choosing would replace those previous president had appointed; government jobs were the "spoils" (or rewards) of the electoral "wars;" this system was also known as patronage |
| AMISCUS CURIAE | literally, friend of the court, a person or group that files a legal brief in a case they are not directly involved in |
| concurring opinion | a statement from one or more Supreme Court justices agreeing with a decision in a case, but giving an alternative explanation for it |
| constitutional courts | the tree-tiered system of federal district courts, courts of appeal (originally circuit courts), and the Supreme Court; article III of the Constitution provides for the creation of these courts |
| dissenting opinion | a statement from one or more Supreme Court justices explaining why they desagree with a decision in a case |
| judicial activism | the vigorous use of judicial review to overturn laws and make public policy from the federal bench |
| judicial review | the doctrine allowing the Supreme Court to review and overturn decisions made by Congress and the president |
| legislative courts | various administrative courts and tribunals that Congress establishes, as article I of the Constitution provides |
| majority opinion | the document announcing and usually explaining the Supreme Court's decision in a case |
| Marbury v. Maidson | the Supreme Court decision in 1803 that establised the principle of judicial review |
| Missouri Plan / merit system | the system some states use to select judges, appointing them but requiring them to stand for periodic reelection |
| rule of four | the Supreme Court rule that at least four justices must decide that a case merits a review before it goes on the Court's schedule |
| senatorial courtesy | the practice a president follows in choosing a nominee for a district or appeals court judgeship; the president selects a nominee from a list supplied by the senior senator of the president's party from a state or region where the vacancy occurs |
| STARE DECISIS | the docrine that previous Supreme Court decisions should be allowed to stand |
| writ of certiorari | a Supreme Court order for a lower court to send it the records of a case--the first step in reviewing a lower court case |
| discharge petition | A means by which the House can remove a bill stalled in committee |
| House Rules Committee | The group that decides what business comes up for a vote and what the limitations on debate should be |
| malapportionment | Congressional districts having unequal populations |
| marginal districts | Districts in which the winner got less than 55 percent of the vote |
| sophomore surge | The difference between the number of votes candidates get when they are first elected and the number of votes they get when they run for reelection |
| safe districts | Districts in which the winner got more than 55 percent of the vote |
| muliple referral | The process through which a bill is referred to several committees that simultaneously consider it in whole or in part |
| Christmas Tree Bill | A bill that has many riders |
| concurrent resolution | A resolution used to settle houskeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses, but not having the force of law |
| descriptive representation | The correspondence between the demographic characterisitcs of representatives and of their constituents |
| double tracking | A procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster; the disputed bill is shelved temporarily |
| division vote | A congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted |
| majority leader | The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate |
| majority-minority districts | Congressional districts designed to make it easier for minority citizens to elect minority representatives |
| teller vote | A congressional voting procedure inwhich members pass between two tellers, first the yeas, and then the nays |
| voice vote | A method of voting used in both houses in which members vote by shouting yea or nay |
| roll call vote | A congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering yea or nay to their names |
| quorum call | A calling of the role in either house of Congress to determine whether the number of members in attendance meets the minimum number required to conduct official business |
| open rule | An order from the Rules Committee in the House that permits a bill to be amended on the legislative floor |
| pork barrel legislation | Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in the hope of winning their votes |
| private bill | Legislation that deals only with specific matters rather than with general legislative affairs |
| discretionary authority | The ability of officals to make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws |
| competative service | Appointment of officials based on selection criteria devised by the employing agency and OPM |
| issue networks | Groups that regularly debate governmental policy on subjects such as health care or auto safety |
| name-request job | A job to be filled by a person whom a government agency has identified by name |
| Schedule C | Government jobs having a confidential or policy-making character |
| Senior Executive Service | Top-ranking civil servans who can be hired, fired, and rewarded in a more flexible manner than can ordinary bureaucrats |
| trust funds | Funds such as that of Social Security that operate outside the government budget |
| Legislative veto | A requirement that an executive decision lie before Congress for a specific period before it takes effect |
| ad hoc structure | A method of organizing a president's staff in which several task forces, committees, and informal groups deal directly with the president |
| Article II | A statement that defines the constitutional powers of the president |
| circular structure | A method of organizing the president's staff in which several presidential assistants report directly to the president |
| cabinet | A president's council of advisors |
| Executive Office of the President | Agencies that perform staff services for the president but are not part of the White House |
| impoundment funds | A president refusal to spend money appropriated by Congress |
| "Ins-and-outers" | People who alternate between jobs in the federal government and employment in the private sector |
| Independent Agencies | Agencies headed by appointees who serve for fixed terms and can be removed only "for cause" |
| lame duck | A politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid |
| Office of Management and Budget | The organization responsible for preparing the federal budget and for central clearance of legislative proposals from federal agencies |
| perks | The fringe benefits of holding an office |
| prime minister | The chief executive in a parliamentary system who is chosen by the legislature |
| pyramid structure | A method of organizing a president's staff in which most presidential assistants report through a hierarchy to the president's chief of staff |
| veto message | A statement sent to Congress by the president giving the reasons for vetoing a bill |
| Twenty-fifth Amendment | Legislation that specified the conditions and order of succession to the presidency and vice presidency when the president leaves office before completion of his term |
| unified government | A government in which the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress |
| White House Office | Presidential staff who oversee the policy interests of the president |
| bloc voting | A pattern of voting behavior of two or more justices |
| civil law | Rules defining relationships among private citizens |
| class action suit | A means by which one who has been injured can bring action on behalf of all similarly situated |
| constitutional court | A court established under Article III of the Constitution |
| criminal law | The body of rules defining offenses that are considered to be offenses against society as a whole |
| Dred Scott v. Sanford | A ruling that declared that blacks could not be federal citizens |
| fee shifting | The practice, authorized by statues, under which the plaintiff is enabled to collect costs from the defendant if the latter loses |
| Friday conference | The meeting at which the justices vote on cases that they have recently heard |
| political question | An issue the Court refuses to consider, believing the Constitution intends another branch to make the decision |
| solicitor general | An individual who represents the federal government before the supreme court |
| strict-constructionist approach | The idea that judges should confine themselves to applying those rules stated in or clearly implied by the language of the Constitution |
| in forma pauperis | A procedure whereby a poor person can file and be heard in court as a pauper, free of charge |
| litmus test | A way of finding out what a person's views are on a controversial question |
| per curiam opinion | A brief, unsigned opinion issued by the Supreme Court to explain its ruling |
| remedy | A judicial order preventing or redressing a wrong or enforcing a right |
| sovereign immunity | The doctrine that a citizen cannot sue the government without its consent |
