Unit 4
Incumbent
(of an official or regime) currently holding office.
Seniority
A simple rule for picking committee chairs; the member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled Congress became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.
Conference Committee
A temporary, ad hoc panel composed of House and Senate conferees which is formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controversial legislation.
State of the Union Address
An annual message to Congress in which the president proposes a legislative program. the message is addressed not only to Congress but also to the American people and to the world.
Writ of Certiorari
An appellate court decides to review a case at its discretion. A writ of certiorari orders a lower court to deliver its record in a case so that the higher court may review it.
Safe Seats
An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted.
Executive Agreement vs. Executive Order
An executive agreement is an international agreement, usually regarding routine administrative matters not warranting a formal treaty, made by the executive branch of the US government without ratification by the Senate. An Executive order is a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.
Census
An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals
Attorney General and Solicitor General
Attorney General: the position of the head of the Justice Department and the chief law enforcement officer of the United States Solicitor General: a law officer appointed to assist an attorney general
Budget Process/ Budget Powers of the President
Budget Process: The President submits a budget request to Congress. The House and Senate pass budget resolutions. House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees "markup" appropriations bills. Budget powers of the President: power to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinion of their Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant reprieves and pardons, and receive ambassadors.
Circular Method of Organization and Pyramid Structure of Organization
Circular: Several of the president's assistants report directly to him. Pyramid: A president's subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff.
Earmarks
Earmarks are a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees
Filibuster and Cloture
Filibuster. a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches; a Cloture is a rule for ending debate via signing a cloture bill
Hatch Act, Pendleton Act
Hatch Act: prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice-president, and certain designated high-level officials, from engaging in some forms of political activity Pendleton Act: established that positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation.
Iron triangle/ Issue Network
Iron triangle: The iron triangle is a mutually beneficial, three-way relationship between Congress, government bureaucrats, and special interest lobby groups. Issue Network: an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy
Appropriations
Money granted by Congress or to a state legislature for a specific purpose
Authorization
Money that is budgeted on a yearly basis; for example Congress may set yearly limits on what agencies can spend. Appropriation. A legislative grant of money to finance a government program.
Congressional Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of redrawing district boundaries when a state has more representatives than districts. Redistricting occurs every ten years, with the national census.
Standing Committee
Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.
Spoils System vs. Merit System
Spoils System: In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government civil service jobs to its supporters, friends and relatives as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party Merit System:The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections
Stare Decisis and Precedent
Stare Decisis : Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases Precedent:an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
House Ways and Means Committee
The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committee unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership.
Oversight
The United States Congress has the authority to conduct hearings, investigations, and budget reviews of the actions by the executive branch.
Franking Privilege
The congressional franking privilege, which dates from 1775, allows Members of Congress to transmit mail matter under their signature without postage. Congress, through legislative branch appropriations, reimburses the U.S. Postal Service for the franked mail it handles.
Lame-Duck Period and Honeymoon Period
The lame-duck period is after a presidential election and before the inauguration where the current president is essentially useless. The honeymoon period is the period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months.
Merit System
The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections
Executive Privilege
The right for the president to keep his communications and conversations private
Presidential Coattail effect
The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. For example, the party of a victorious presidential candidate will often win many seats in Congress as well
War Powers Act
US law passed in 1973 which allows Congress to limit the President's use of military forces. It states that the President must tell Congress within 48 hours if he sends armed forces anywhere, and Congress must give approval for them to stay there for more than 90 days.
Rule of Four
a Supreme Court of the United States practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari
Veto and Pocket veto
a Veto is constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it. A two-thirds vote in each house can override it. A pocket veto is when a president leave a bill unsigned or vetoed and the bill is not passed
Amicus Curiae Brief
a brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not a party to it
Circuit Court
a court that sits in more than one place in a judicial district
Senatorial Courtesy
a custom of the U.S. Senate of refusing to confirm a presidential appointment of an official in or from a state when the appointment is opposed by the senators or senior senator of the president's party from that state.
Discharge petition
a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor
Dual Court System
a dual court system comprising a federal court system and the courts in each of the fifty states. On both the federal and state sides, the U.S. Supreme Court is at the top and is the final court of appeal.
Legislative Veto
a provision that allows a congressional resolution (passed by a majority of congress, but not signed by the President) to nullify a rulemaking or other action taken by an executive agency.
Policy Agenda
a set of issues, problems, or subjects, that gets the attention of/is viewed as important by, people involved in policy making
House Rules Committee
a special committee of a legislature, as of the U.S. House of Representatives, having the authority to establish rules or methods for expediting legislative action, and usually determining the date a bill is presented for consideration.
Impoundment
an act by a President of the United States of not spending money that has been appropriated by the U.S. Congress
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)
Independent Regulatory Agencies
federal agencies created by an act of Congress that are independent of the executive departments. Though they are considered part of the executive branch, these agencies are meant to impose and enforce regulations free of political influence.
Original Jurisdiction
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.
Gerrymandering
manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
Judicial Restraint
philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law.
Marginal Districts
political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically with less than 55 percent of the vote.
Casework
social work directly concerned with individuals, especially that involving a study of a person's family history and personal circumstances.
Imperial Presidency
term used to describe a president as an emperor who acts without consulting Congress or acts in secrecy to evade or deceive congress
Administrative Law
the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rule making, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda
Patronage
the dispensation of favours or rewards such as public office, jobs, contracts, subsidies, prestige or other valued benefits by a patron (who controls their dispensation) to a client
Supreme Court
the final judge in all cases involving laws of Congress, and the highest law of all — the Constitution.
Appellate Jurisdiction
the power of a higher court to review decisions and change outcomes of decisions of lower courts.
Line-Item Veto
the power of a president, governor, or other elected executive to reject individual provisions of a bill.
Reapportionment
the process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the house. reapportionment occurs every ten years, when census data reports shifts in the population of districts. each district must have an equal number of residents.
Logrolling
the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.
Impeachment
to charge someone with doing something wrong, specifically a high government official, such as the US president, a senator, or a Federal judge. Fortunately, very few presidents have had the dishonor of being impeached.
White House Staff: West Wing, Executive Office of the President, Cabinet
west wing:where the White House office is located executive office of the president:agencies report directly to the president and perform staff services for him- but they are not located in the White House itself Cabinet: The secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major departments of the federal government. Cabinet secretaries are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.