Federalist Papers

• authors: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
• written in favor of the  ratification of the Constitution
• # 10: warns of "factions" and says the solution is a republican form of government
• #51: talks about checks and balances

Political Socialization

Electoral College

• written about in the Constitution
• representatives that vote for the president and vice president
• criticisms: the candidate can win the popular vote but not win the electoral vote or vice versa
• criticisms: candidates focus on big states because of the winner-take-all system

Writ of Certiorari

• an order by the court (when petitioned) directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review
• Rule of Four: 4 of the 9 justices must agree to hear the case

Brief Orders

• when the Supreme Court accepts a case and returns it to the lower court for reconsideration because of a related case that was recently decided

Certificate

• what a lower court needs to ask the Supreme Court about a rule of law or procedures in specific cases

Presidential Veto

• president sends bill back to Congress within 10 days stating objection
• Congress reconsiders, can override veto if there is a 2/3 majority vote in both houses and bill becomes law
• if president never signs, becomes law after 10 days

Amendment #19

Amendment # 20

• president and vice president start their terms on January 20
• Congress start their terms on January 3

Amendment #10

• all other rights not specified in Constitution is given to the states

Amendment # 16

• Congress has power to impose individual federal income tax

Amendment #14

• defined citizenship
• Due Process Clause: gives rights to the states

Amendment #5

• no double jeopardy (can't be tried for the same crime twice with no new evidence
• you don't have to testify against yourself

Amendment # 17

• USA senators are to be elected directly by the people (used to be by the state legislatures)

Amendment #18

• alcohol is prohibited

Amendment #2

• gave the right to bear arms

Amendment #24

• the payment of tax is not a requirement to vote

Amendment #13

• abolished slavery

Amendment #6

• the right to a speedy trial

Amendment #25

• outlines the procedure for presidential succession in case of presidential disability

Amendment #26

• changed voting age to 18 or older

Amendment #27

• Congress cannot pass immediate salary increases for itself

Amendment #21

• repealed the 18th amendment (alcohol is now legal)

Amendment #3

• in peacetime, soldiers cannot be put up in a private home without the owner's agreement

Amendment #9

• a right cannot be taken away from a person simply because the Constitution does not mention it

Amendment #11

• federal courts can't hear cases lodged against a state by a citizen of another state

Amendment #7

• when one person sues another for more than $20, the accused has the right to jury trial

Amendment #15

• the right to vote cannot be denied by race

Amendment #1

• freedom of religion
• freedom of speech
• freedom of the press
• freedom of assembly and petition

Amendment #12

• choices for president and vice president must be designated as such

Amendment #22

• president can only serve 2 terms

Amendment #8

• no cruel and unusual punishments

Amendment #23

• Washington, D.C. can vote for president and vice president

Amendment #4

• no search and seizure without a warrant

Virginia Plan

• bicameral legislature
• each house has representation according to population

New Jersey Plan

• unicameral legislature
• representation equal regardless of population

The Great Compromise

• also known as the Connecticut Compromise
• bicameral legislature
• one house would have equal representation (the senate)
• one house would have representation according to population (house of representatives)

Devolution

• the granting of powers from the federal government to the state government

House Committees

• has 23 congressional committees
• 20 of which are standing committees
• 3 are special committees

major differences of the House of Representatives from the Senate

• representation is proportional to population
• 435 members serving 2-year terms
• policy specialists
• Rules Committee powerful
• debate usually limited
• leaders very powerful

major differences of the Senate from the House of Representatives

• representation equal regardless of population
• 100 members serving 6-year terms
• policy generalists
• Rules Committee weak
• unlimited debate unless cloture or unanimous consent

Constituent

• a person who elects a representative

line item veto

• the president can choose parts of bill to veto, and parts to pass
• given power in Line Item Veto Act of 1996 but it was later declared unconstitutional

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

• also called the McCain-Feingold Law
• amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
• increased the role of soft money

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• created a "league of friendship"
• Congress could not tax
• Congress could not regulate interstate commerce
• no executive branch
• the states had power to coin money
• each state had one vote, regardless of population
• 9/13 states required to pass legislation
• unanimous consent to amend the Articles of Confederation

Motor Voter Law

• let people register to vote when they applied for or renewed their licenses
• an attempt to increase voter turnout

affirmative action

• policies that try to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic diversity by taking race, gender, etc. into consideration
• Supreme Court has ruled that strict forms are unconstitutional

2000 Presidential Election

• Al Gore got the popular vote
• George Bush got electoral vote so he won

Powers of Congress

• to tax
• to borrow money
• to regulate interstate and foreign commerce
• to coin money
• to fix the standard of weights and measures
• to establish a post office
• to declare war
• to raise and support an army and navy and make rules for them
•  to provide for a militia
• to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper"

Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Balanced Budget

• when the spending equals the income

Block Grant

• general grant to the states from the federal government that can be used in a variety of ways in a broad category
• there's more freedom than with a categorical grant

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

• federal agency in the legislative branch
• provides economic data to Congress

Consumer Price Index

• the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households

Continuing Resolution

• government agencies can spend money according to budget from the year before if their budget hasn't been appropriated by Congress by the end of the fiscal year

Culture of Poverty

• social theory explaining the cycle of poverty
• poor stay poor because they are adapted to it

Deficit Spending

• they money that is spent that exceeds the income

Discount Rates

• the interest rate a central bank charges depository institutions that borrow from it

Distributive Policy

• extending goods and services to members of an organization and distributing the costs amongst them

Entitlements

• guarantee of access to benefits because of rights or by agreement through law

Federal Reserve System

• the central banking system of the United States

Flat Tax

• a tax system with a constant tax rate

Fiscal Policy

• the use of government spending and revenue collection to influence the economy

Gross Domestic Product

• a basic measure of a country's overall economic performance

Income Distribution

• how a nation's total economy is distributed amongst its population

Laissez-Faire

• allowing industry to be free of government restriction

Mandatory Spending

• spending on certain programs that is required by law

Norris-La Guardia Act (1932)

• made yellow dog contracts: a worker agreed as a condition of employment that he would not join a labor union

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

• cabinet level office
• assists the president in overseeing the federal budget 

Poverty Line

• the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve and adequate standard of living in a given country

Progressive Tax

• the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases

Regressive Tax

• the tax rate decreases as the taxable amount increases

Natural Law

• God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law

Initiative

• procedure whereby a certain number of voter may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters

Referendum

• procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendment to a state constitution

Recall

• procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term

Judicial Review

• the power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or a government regulation because they believe it is unconstitutional

Writ of Mandamus

• court order directing an official to perform an official duty

Executive Order

• directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law

Executive Privilege

• the power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security

Impoundment

• presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated

Party Machine

• a disciplined organization with a boss or small group in charge
• the supporters receive rewards for their efforts
• sometimes have a political boss, and follow the merit system
• typically are organized on a permanent basis

The Department of Treasury

• executive department
• first secretary was Alexander Hamilton
• pretty much in charge of anything financial

Amicus Curiae Brief

• "friend of the court"
• someone who is not party to the case offers information

Exclusionary Rule

• when evidence collected under violation of rights is sometimes used for a criminal prosecution

Wall of Seperation

• proposed by Thomas Jefferson
• there must be a wall of separation between church and state

Civil rights Act of 1964

• made racial discrimination in public place illegal
• required employers to provide equal employment opportunity

Front-loading

• scheduling elections earlier so the states might can influence the outcome

Franking Privilege

• allows members of the House of Representative and the Senate to mail things with their signature instead of a stamp

Federalist #51

• majority rule and minority rights

War Power Resolution

• requires president to notify Congress of within 48 hours of sending out troops
• after 60 day, troops must come home unless authorized by Congress

Iron Triangle

• policy-making relationship between a congressional committee, the bureaucracy (executive), and interest groups

Prior Restraint

• government actions that prevent communications from reaching the public
• censorship

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974

• placed legal limits on the campaign contributions
• created the Federal Election Commission (an independent regulatory agency that regulates the campaign finance legislation)

Government Corporations

• independent establishments created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation
• responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly
• NASA, CIA, Social Security Agency, AMTRAK, US Postal Service

Deregulation

• the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces
• moving toward a more free market

Chief Initiator of Foreign Policy

• president is the chief initiator
• secretary of state carries it out
• Senate ratifies treaties and president signs them

Policy Agenda

• a list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside the government are paying serious attention to at any given time

Divided Government

• when one party controls the presidency and a different party controls one or both houses of Congress

Electoral College

• the body that formally selects the president
• each state is allotted electoral votes equal to the number of its representatives and senators in Congress
• the candidate for the presidency who receives a majority of these votes wins
• if no candidate obtains a majority, the House of Representatives chooses from the top three in electoral votes

Executive Agencies

• federal agencies that are part of the executive branch but outside the structure of the cabinet departments
• their heads typically serve at the pleasure of the president and can be removed at the president's discretion

Executive Privilege

• a claim by the president that consultations with advisers are confidential and need not be disclosed to the courts or Congress
• it is valid when sensitive military or diplomatic matters are involved

Impoundment

• the refusal of the president to spend money appropriated by Congress

Rescissions

• presidential recommendations to cut parts of appropriations bills

Unified Government

• a government in which the same party controls the presidency and both houses of Congress

Appropriation

• money formally set aside for a specific use
• issued by the House Appropriations Committee

Bureaucracy

• a large organization composed of appointed officers in which authority is divided among several managers

Freedom of Information Act

• a law passed in 1966
• gave citizens the right to inspect all government records except those containing military, intelligence, or trade secrets

Pendleton Act

• a law which began the process of transferring federal jobs from patronage to the merit system

Whistleblower Protection Act

• created an Office of Special Counsel to investigate complaints from bureaucrats claiming they were punished after reporting to Congress about waste, fraud, or abuse in their agencies

Remedy

• a judicial order setting forth what must be done to correct a situation a judge believes to be wrong

Senatorial Courtesy

• the tradition by which the Senate will not confirm a district court judge if the senator who is from that state and of the president party objects

Stare Decisis

• an informal rule of judicial decision making in which judges try to follow precedent in deciding cases.

Client Politics

• policies from which some identifiable, though often small, group will benefit, but for which a large part of society will pay the cost

Logrolling

• "I'll vote for your bill if you vote for mine"

Political Agenda

• the issues about which public policy will be made

Gramm-Rudman Act

• proposed cutting the budget until there was no longer a deficit
• tried to balance the budget

Keynesianism

• liberal economic theory developed by John Maynard Keynes
• when demand is too low, the government should pump money into the economy through spending on programs
• when demand is too great, the government should take money out of the economy by increasing taxes or cutting spending

Hatch Act

• limits political activities of civil service employees

Civil Rights Act of 1964

• no discrimination in public places on basis of race, color, national origin, or religion
• no discrimination in hiring

Voting Rights Act of 1965

• suspended literacy test

War Powers Act

• president could send troops overseas only if:
• he notified Congress within 48 hours
• he withdrew troops within 60 days, unless authorized by Congress
• he consulted with Congress if troops were to engage in combat

USA Patriot Act

• strengthens the federal government's power to conduct surveillance, perform searches, and detain individuals in order to combat terrorism

McCain-Feingold Bill

• raised hard money limits to $2,000
• banned soft money contributions to national political parties