AP Gov Vocab 2.8-2.15

National Performance Review

A 1993 effort, led by Vice President Al Gore, to make the bureaucracy work better and cost less.

Iron Triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information and public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits.

Binding Precedent

A decision of a higher court that must be followed by lower courts in the same hierarchy.

Judicial Restraint

A judicial philosophy in which judges play minimal policymaking roles, leaving that duty strictly to the legislatures

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Administrative Procedures Act (1946)

A law passed in 1946 requiring federal agencies to give notice, solicit comments, and (sometimes) hold public hearings before adopting any new rules.

Whistleblower Protection Act (1989)

A law passed in 1989 which 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.

Petition for Certiorari

A petition asking the Supreme Court to hear a case

Dissenting Opinion

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

Spoils

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

Judicial Review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

Judicial Activism

An interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court)

Concurring Opinion

An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning.

Rule of Four

At least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard

Power of the purse

Constitutional power given to Congress to raise and spend money

US. District Courts

Courts within the lowest tier of the three-tiered federal court system; courts where litigation begins.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Directs services for armed forces veterans

Independent Regulatory Agencies

Federal regulatory agencies that are independent, thus not fully under the power of the president. Ex. Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission.

Patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

Original Jurisdiction

In common law legal systems, original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision.

Stare Decisis

Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases

Department of Transportation

Manages the nations highways, railroads, airlines, and sea traffic

Appropriations

Money granted by Congress or to a state legislature for a specific purpose

Congressional Oversight

Power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy

Senatorial Courtesy

Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.

Department of Education

Provides advice and funding for schools

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is a Division within the Office of Management and Budget, which in turn, is within the Executive Office of the President.

Legislative Veto

The authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power

Civil Service Commission

The initial central personnel agency of the national government, created in 1883.

Office of Personnel Management

The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.

Marbury v. Madison

This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review

Department of Homeland Security

US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism

Standing

a legal rule stating who is authorized to start a lawsuit

Strict Constructionist

a person who interprets the Constitution in a way that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take

Majority Opinion

a statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case

Precedent

an example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action

Environmental Protection Agency

an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment

Merit System

hiring people into government jobs on the basis of their qualifications

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

monitors the stock market and enforces laws regulating the sale of stocks and bonds

Liberal Constructionist

one who argues a broad interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, particularly those granting powers to the Federal Government

Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

recognized that many high level positions in the civil service have important policy making responsibilities and that the president and his cabinet officers ought to have more flexibility in recruiting, assigning, and paying such people.

US. Circuit Courts of Appeals

review the interpretation or application of law in a previous court case.

US. Supreme Court

the highest court of the United States; it sits at the top of the federal court system

Federalist No. 78

written by Alexander Hamilton; talks about the federal judiciary; judiciary must depend on other two branches to uphold its decisions