question

The system of having two chambers within one legislative body, like the House and the Senate in the U.S. Congress

answer

bicameralism

question

Legislative appropriations that benefit specific constituents, created with the aim of helping local representative win reelection

answer

pork barrel

question

When a member of Congress shares the characteristics (such as gender, race, religion, or ethnicity) of his or her constituents

answer

descriptive representation

question

When a member of Congress represents constituents' interests and policy concerns

answer

substantive representation

question

A member of Congress who represents constituents' interests while also taking into account national, collective, and moral concerns that sometimes cause the member to vote against the preference of a majority of constituents

answer

trustee

question

A member of Congress who loyally represents constituents' direct interests

answer

delegate

question

A member of Congress who acts as a delegate on issues that constituents care about (such as immigration reform) and as a trustee on more-complex or less-salient issues (such as some foreign policy or regulatory matters)

answer

politico

question

Assistance provided by members of Congress to their constituents in solving problems with the federal bureaucracy or addressing other specific concerns

answer

casework

question

The idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members' desire for reelection

answer

electoral connection

question

Redrawing the geographic boundaries of legislative districts. This happens every ten years to ensure that districts remain roughly equal in population.

answer

redistricting

question

The process of assigning the 435 seats in the House to the states based on increase or decrease in state population.

answer

apportionment

question

Attempting to use the process of redrawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district.

answer

gerrymandering

question

An inability to enact legislation because of partisan conflict within Congress or between Congress and the president.

answer

gridlock

question

The relative infrequency with which members of Congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection.

answer

incumbency advantage

question

A form of reciprocity in which members of Congress support bills that they otherwise might not vote for in exchange for other members' votes on bills that are very important to them.

answer

logrolling

question

Federally funded local projects attached to bills passed through Congress.

answer

earmarks

question

The informal congressional norm of choosing the member who has served the longest on a particular committee to be the committee chair.

answer

seniority

question

The elected leader of the House of Representatives.

answer

Speaker of the House

question

They elected head of the party holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate.

answer

majority leader

question

An organization of House leaders who work to disseminate information and promote party unity in voting on legislation.

answer

whip system

question

The elected head of the party holding the minority of seats in the House or Senate.

answer

minority leader

question

A largely symbolic position usually held by the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate.

answer

president pro tempore

question

A recorded vote on legislation; members may vote yes, no, abstain, or present.

answer

roll call vote

question

A vote in which the majority of one party opposes the position of the majority of the other party.

answer

party vote

question

The extent to which members of Congress in the same party vote together on party votes.

answer

party unity

question

Committees that are a permanent part of the House or Senate structure, holding more importance and authority than other committees.

answer

standing committees

question

Committees in the House of Senate created to address a specific issue for one or two terms.

answer

select committees

question

Committees that contain members of both the House and Senate but have limited authority.

answer

joint committees

question

Temporary committees created to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation that has passed through both chambers.

answer

conference committees

question

The idea that members of Congress will join committees that best serve the interests of their district and that committee members will support each other's legislation.

answer

distributive theory

question

The idea that having committees in Congress made up of experts on specific policy areas helps to ensure well-informed policy decisions.

answer

informational theory

question

One of the steps through which a bill becomes a law, in which the final wording of the bill is determined.

answer

markup

question

The president's rejection of a bill that has been passed by Congress. A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

answer

veto

question

The automatic death of a bill passed by the House and Senate when the president fails to sign the bill in the last 10 days of a legislative session.

answer

pocket veto

question

Large bills that often cover several topics and may contain extraneous, or pork-barrel, projects.

answer

omnibus legislation

question

A procedure through which the Senate can limit the amount of time spent debating a bill (cutting off a filibuster) if a supermajority of 60 senators agree.

answer

cloture

question

A tactic used by senators to block a bill by continuing to hold the floor and speak-under the Senate rule of unlimited debate-until the bill's supporters back down.

answer

filibuster

question

An objection to considering a measure on the Senate floor.

answer

hold

question

Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee prohibiting amendments to a bill.

answer

closed rules

question

Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing relevant amendments to a bill.

answer

open rules

question

Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing certain amendments to a bill while barring others.

answer

modified ruled

question

allowed for direct election of senators

answer

What did the 17th Amendment do?

question

to make sure that senators were somewhat insulated from the people

answer

What do senators have longer terms than members of the House of Representatives?

question

delegate

answer

What is the most common style of representatives in Congress?

question

inattentive; is

answer

Most constituents are __________; most members of Congress act as if the constituency ___________ paying attention.

question

getting reelected

answer

Members of Congress generally hold multiple goals. Which goal comes first?

question

determining which states win/lose seats in the House

answer

What is apportionment?

question

three

answer

On average, incumbents spend _________ times as much as challengers.

question

Powers derived from the provisions of the Constitution that outline the president's role in the government.

answer

constitutional authority

question

Powers derived from laws enacted by Congress that add to the powers given to the president in the Constitution.

answer

statutory authority (presidential)

question

Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution, which states "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America," making the president both the head of government and the head of state.

answer

vesting clause

question

One role of the president, through which he or she has authority over the executive branch.

answer

head of government

question

One role of the president, through which he or she represents the country symbolically and politically.

answer

head of the state

question

Selection by the president of a person to be an ambassador or the head of a department while the Senate is not in session, thereby by passing Senate approval. Unless approved by a subsequent Senate vote, recess appointees serve only to the end of the congressional term.

answer

recess appointment

question

Proclamations made by the president that change government policy without congressional approval.

answer

executive order

question

An expedited system for passing treaties under which support from a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds majority, is needed both House and Senate, and no amendments are allowed.

answer

fast-track authority

question

An agreement between the executive branch and a foreign government, which acts as a treaty but does not require Senate approval.

answer

executive agreement

question

An annual speech in which the president address Congress to report on the condition of the country and to recommend policies.

answer

State of the Union

question

The right of the president to keep executive branch conversations and correspondence confidential from the legislative and judicial branches.

answer

executive privilege

question

The percentage of Americans who think that the president is doing a good job in office.

answer

presidential approval rating

question

A president's use of speeches and other public communications to appeal directly to citizens about issues the president would like the House and Senate to act on.

answer

go public

question

The group of policy-related offices that serve as support staff to the president.

answer

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

question

The group of 15 executive department heads who implement the president's agenda in their respective positions.

answer

Cabinet

question

Any policy decision made and acted upon by the president and presidential staff without the explicit approval or consent of Congress.

answer

unilateral action (presidential)

question

The idea that the vesting clause of the Constitution gives the president the authority to issue orders and policy directives that cannot be undone by Congress.

answer

unitary executive theory

question

A document issued by the president when signing a bill into law explaining his interpretation of the law, which often differs from the interpretation of Congress, in an attempt to influence how the law will be implemented.

answer

signing statement

question

America's growth as a nation, America's emergence as a dominant actor in international politics, the expansion of the federal government, acts of legislation passed by Congress

answer

Presidential power has increased over time due to:

question

congressional consideration of immigration reforms

answer

Which event during Barack Obama's presidency best illustrates the limits of presidential power?

question

temporarily dodge the need for Senate approval

answer

Presidents use reeds appointments when they are trying to ________

question

an executive order

answer

A presidential proclamation that unilaterally changes government policy without congressional consent is called _______

question

the president

answer

Some scholars argue that the War Powers Resolution has effectively expanded the power of ________

question

congress

answer

The first-mover advantage refers to the president's negotiating advantage over _____

question

they energize their opponents

answer

For most presidents, the problem with going public is that ______

question

loyalty

answer

In most appointments to EOP positions, presidents generally emphasize ______

question

limited; have

answer

Recent vice presidents have had ________ official duties, and/but _______ been influential in their role.

question

policy outcomes

answer

Presidential approval is generally based on _______

question

declines; spikes

answer

Presidential popularity generally _________ over time, and it __________ during national crises.

question

unitary executive theory

answer

The ________ was used by the George W. Bush administration to argue in favor of the power to station American forces in Iraq.

question

signing statement

answer

Most presidents use the ______ to control the interpretation and implementation of laws.

question

rarely; unsuccessful

answer

Congressional challenges to presidential authority are _______ used and are generally _________ at constraining presidential power.

question

The system of civil servants and political appointees who implement congressional or presidential decisions; also known as the administrative state.

answer

bureaucracy

question

Employees of bureaucrats agencies within the government.

answer

civil servants

question

People selected by an elected leader, such as the president, to hold down a government position.

answer

political appointees

question

A rule that allows the government to exercise control over individuals and corporations by restricting certain behaviors.

answer

regulation

question

A step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and made available for debate by the general public.

answer

notice-and-comment procedure

question

Agency employees who directly provide services to the public, such as those who provide job-training services.

answer

street-level bureaucrats

question

The knowledge, personnel, and institutions that the government requires to effectively implement policies.

answer

state capacity

question

Excessive or unnecessarily complex regulations imposed by the bureaucracy.

answer

red tape

question

Rules that lower-level bureaucrats must follow when implementing policies.

answer

standard operating procedures

question

A difficulty faced by elected officials in ensuring that when bureaucrats implement policies they follow these officials' intentions but still have enough discretion to use their expertise.

answer

problem of control

question

The interaction between a principal (such as the president or Congress), who needs something done , and an agent (such as a bureaucrat), who is responsible for carrying out the principal's orders.

answer

principal-agent game

question

A situtation in which bureaucrats favor the interests of the groups or corporations they are supposed to regulate at the expense of the general public.

answer

regulatory capture

question

A system created by the 1883 Pendleton Civil Service Act in which bureaucrats are hired on the basis of merit rather than political connections.

answer

federal civil service

question

An office within the Executive Office of the President that is responsible for creating the president's annual budget proposal to Congress, reviewing proposed rules, and other budget-related tasks.

answer

Office of Management and Budget

question

Government offices or organizations that provide government services and are not part of an executive department.

answer

independent agencies

question

Bureaucrats who seek to increase funding for their agency whether or not that additional spending is worthwhile.

answer

budget maximizers

question

Agencies to which campaign workers and donors can be appointed in reward for their service because it is unlikely that their lack of qualifications will lead to bad policy.

answer

turkey farms

question

Bureaucrats' tendency to implement policies in a way that favor their own political objectives rather than following the original intentions of the legislation.

answer

bureaucratic drift

question

Congressional efforts to make sure that laws are implemented correctly by the bureaucracy after they have been passed.

answer

oversight

question

A method of oversight in which members of Congress constantly monitor the bureaucracy to make sure that laws are implemented correctly.

answer

police patrol oversight

question

A method of oversight in which members of Congress respond to complaints about the bureaucracy or problems of implementation only as they arise rather than exercising constant vigilance.

answer

fire alarm oversight

question

a regulation

answer

A government rule that affects the choices that individuals or corporations make is called _______

question

they need congressional support to get larger budgets

answer

One of the reasons bureaucrats respond to pressure from elected officials is because _______

question

president; bureaucracy

answer

In the problem of control, the _______ is the principal and the ____ is the agent.

question

Regulatory capture

answer

______ occurs when bureaucrats cater to a small group of individuals regardless of the impact of these actions on the public welfare.

question

It increased the government's regulatory activity.

answer

How did the bureaucracy change during the the Progressive Era?

question

ended; decreased

answer

The civil service reforms of the Progressive Era _______ the spoils system and ________ the power of party organizations.

question

The size of the federal government increased.

answer

What effect did the Reagan Revolution have on bureaucracy?

question

to prepare the president's annual budget proposal for the Congress

answer

What is the job of the Office of Management and Budget?

question

more; can

answer

Independent agencies have _____ freedom from oversight than executive departments do and _______ be controlled by the president through his appointees.

question

the public does not support large-scale budget cuts

answer

The federal budget is growing in size because ______

question

decrease; decrease

answer

The civil service regulations _______ the flexibility that managers have in their hiring decisions and ______ the influence of elected officials.

question

problem of control

answer

When bureaucrats pursue their own goals rather than their assignments from officeholders, this is called __________

question

limits; reduces

answer

Giving direct orders to bureaucrats ______ the influence of their policy expertise and _______ the potential for incrementalism.

question

responsive; costly

answer

While police patrol oversight has the advantage of being ________, it has the drawback of being _______.

question

The law in which Congress laid out the organization of the federal judiciary. The law refined and clarified federal court jurisdiction and set the original number of justices at six. It also created the Office of the Attorney General and established the lower federal courts.

answer

Judiciary Act of 1789

question

Lower-level trial courts of the federal judicial system that handle most U.S. federal cases.

answer

district courts

question

The authority of a court to hear appeals from lower courts and change or uphold the decision.

answer

appellate jurisdiction

question

The Supreme Court's power to strike down a law or an executive branch action that it finds unconstitutional.

answer

judicial review

question

The authority of a court to handle a case first, as in the Supreme Court's authority to initially hear disputes between two states. However, original jurisdiction for the Supreme Court is not exclusive; it may assign such a case to a lower court.

answer

original jurisdiction

question

The process of determining whether a piece of legislation or governmental action is supported by the Constitution.

answer

constitutional interpretation

question

The various methods and tests used by the courts for determining the meaning of a law and applying it to specific situations. Congress may overturn the courts' interpretation by writing a new law; thus, it also engages in statutory interpretation.

answer

statutory interpretation

question

The person or party who brings a case to court.

answer

plantiff

question

The person or party against whom a case is brought.

answer

defendant

question

Negotiating an agreement between a plaintiff and a defendant to settle a case before it goes to trial or the verdict is decided. In a civil case, this usually involves an admission of guilt and an agreement on monetary damages; in a criminal case, this often involves an admission of guilt in return for a reduced charge or sentence.

answer

plea bargaining

question

A case brought by a group of individuals on behalf of themselves and others in the general public who are in similar circumstances.

answer

class-action lawsuit

question

Law based on the precedent of previous court rulings rather than on legislation. It is used in all federal courts and 49 of the 50 state courts.

answer

common law

question

A legal norm established in court cases that is then applied to future cases dealing with the same legal questions.

answer

precedent

question

Legitimate justification for bringing a civil case to court.

answer

standing

question

The sphere of a court's legal authority to hear and decide cases.

answer

jurisdiction

question

The intermediate level of federal courts that hear appeals from district courts. More generally, an appeals court is any court with appellate jurisdiction.

answer

appeals courts

question

A norm in the nomination of district court judges in which the president consults with his party's senators from the relevant state in choosing the nominee.

answer

senatorial courtesy

question

The most common way for a case to reach the Supreme Court, in which at least four of the nine justices agree to hear a case that has reached them via an appeal from the losing party in a lower court's ruling.

answer

writ of certiorari

question

The irrelevance of a case by the time it is received by a federal court, causing the Court to decline to hear the case.

answer

mootness

question

A system initiated in the Supreme Court in the 1970s in which law clerks screen cases that come to the Supreme Court and recommended to the justices which cases should be heard.

answer

cert pool

question

A presidential appointee in the Justice Department who conducts all litigation on behalf of the federal government before the Supreme Court and supervises litigation in the federal appellate courts.

answer

solicitor general

question

Spoken presentations made in person by the lawyers of each party to a judge or an appellate court outlining the legal reasons their side should prevail.

answer

oral arguments

question

A way of interpreting the Constitution based on its language alone.

answer

strict construction

question

The theory that justices should surmise the intentions of the Founders when the language of the Constitution is unclear.

answer

original intent

question

A way of interpreting the Constitution that takes into account evolving national attitudes and circumstances rather than text alone.

answer

living Constitution

question

A way of understanding decisions of the Supreme Court based on the political ideologies of the justices.

answer

attitudinalist approach

question

The idea that the Supreme Court should defer to the democratically elected executive and legislative branches of government rather than contradicting existing laws.

answer

judicial restraint

question

The idea that the Supreme Court should asset its interpretation of the law even if it overrules the elected executive and legislative branches of government.

answer

judicial activism

question

the Judiciary Act of 1789

answer

Most of the details about the Supreme Court were established in _______

question

established judicial review

answer

Marbury v. Madison is significant because it _______

question

strike down laws passed by Congress

answer

Judicial review enables the Supreme Court to _______

question

statutory interpretation

answer

The Court's application of national and state laws to particular cases is called _______

question

common law

answer

A system of ________ relies on legal decisions that are built from precedent established in previous cases.

question

standing

answer

When one has suffered direct and personal harm from the action addressed in a case, it is called _______

question

Senate

answer

The president appoints federal judges with the "advice and consent" of the _______

question

through a writ of certiorari

answer

When a litigant who lost in a lower court files a petition, the case reaches the Supreme Court ________

question

Mootness

answer

_______ means that the controversy is not relevant when the Court hears the case.

question

use a cert pool

answer

Most justices ______ in initially deciding which cases should be heard.

question

one hour; do not

answer

Oral arguments generally last ______, and justices ______ wait until the end of the arguments to ask questions.

question

most senior; are

answer

Generally, the chief justice or the ________ justice decides who writes the majority opinion; justices' individual areas of expertise ______ a factor in making this assignment.

question

original intent

answer

The perspective that when the Constitution is not clear, the justices should be guided by what the Founders wanted is called _______.

question

judicial restraint

answer

Advocates of _________ argue that the Court must defer to the elected branches and not strike down their laws.

question

avoids; agrees

answer

In general, the Court _____ challenges with the elected branches and often ______ to act on "political questions."

question

an executive order

answer

A presidential proclamation that unilaterally changes government policy without congressional consent is called _______

Chapters 11, 12, 13 & 14 – Flashcards

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