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Institutions
Government Unit 3
40
Other
12th Grade
04/21/2014

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Term
Divided Government
Definition
Government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress.
Term
Elite Theory
Definition
THeory that upper class elites exercise over public policy.
Term
Factions
Definition
Term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups
Term
Patronage
Definition
Appointing loyal party members to government positions
Term
Revolving Door
Definition
The cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty
Term
Appropration
Definition
Money that Congress has allocated to be spent
Term
Appropriations Committee
Definition
Congressional committee that deals with federal spending
Term
Bureaucracy
Definition
Departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions in the executive branch of government
Term
Civil Law
Definition
Concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties
Term
Class Action Lawsuit
Definition
Lawsuit brought on behalf of a group of people against a defendent
Term
Closed Rule
Definition
Rules COmmittee rule that bans amendments to a bill
Term
Cloture
Definition
Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote
Term
Concurring Opinion
Definition
Written by a Supreme Court Justice who voted with the majority, but for different reasons
Term
COnference Committee
Definition
Works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill
Term
Constituents
Definition
The people who are represented by elected officials
Term
Discharge petition
Definition
A motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in a committee
Term
Dissenting opinion
Definition
Written by a Supreme Court Justice who express a minority viewpoint in a case
Term
Executive agreement
Definition
an agreement between the President and another head of state that, unlike a treaty, does not require Senate consent
Term
Executive Order
Definition
Presidential rule or regulation that has the force of law
Term
Executive Privilege
Definition
The privilege of a President and his staff to withhold their "privileged" conversations from Congress or the courts
Term
Filibuster
Definition
Nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote
Term
Franking privelege
Definition
Allows members of Congress to send mail postage free
Term
Gerrymandering
Definition
Redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other
Term
Hold
Definition
Senate maneuvering that allows a Senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment
Term
Impeachment
Definition
House action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing. Conviction requires 2/3 vote from the Senate
Term
Judicial activism
Definition
Philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems
Term
Judicial Restraint
Definition
Philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law
Term
Judicial Review
Definition
Power of the courts to review the constitutionality of laws or government actions
Term
Pork Barrel
Definition
Wasteful congressional spending
Term
Quorum
Definition
Minimum number of members needed for the House of Senate to meet
Term
Reapportionment
Definition
Reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census
Term
Redistricting
Definition
Redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature
Term
Red Tape
Definition
Complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies
Term
Rule of Four
Definition
The Supreme Court will hear a case if four Justices agree to do so
Term
Rules Committee
Definition
the "traffic cop" of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill
Term
Sunset Laws
Definition
Laws that automatically expire after a given time
Term
Ways and Means Committee
Definition
House committee that handles tax bills
Term
Bill of Attainder
Definition
law that punishes a person who has not been convicted in a court of law
Term
Ex post facto law
Definition
a law that applies to an action that took place before the law was passed
Term
Writ of habeas corpus
Definition
Cannot be kept in jail without reason
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