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A fundamental democratic principle requiring that the majoritys view be respected. Majority Rule

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System in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches Checks & Balances

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System of government in which all power is invested in a central government Unitary System

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A system of government in which power is divided by a written constitution between a central government and regional governments. As a result, two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same geographic area & people Federalism

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Powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution Ex: Congress coining money Expressed powers

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Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution and are derived from the elastic or necessary & proper clause Implied Powers

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Powers not specifically granted to the national government of denied to the states & are held by the states through the 10 th amendment Reserved Powers

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Situations in which the national & state governments work together to complete projects. Cooperative federalism (aka fiscal federalism)

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Funds provided for a specific & clearly defined purpose Categorical grant

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Funds granted to the states for a broadly defined purpose Block grant

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Rules telling states what they must do to comply with federal guidelines Mandates

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A movement to transfer the responsibilities of governing from the federal government to state & local governments. Devolution

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A set of widely shared political beliefs & values like liberty, political equality, & limited government Political culture

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The process by which political values are formed & passed from one generation to the next. The family is the most important agent of this Political socialization

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Attitudes about institutions, leaders, political issues, & events Public opinion

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A cohesive set of beliefs about politics, public policy & the role of government Political ideology

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The belief that ones political participation makes a difference Political efficacy

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Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices in the same election Split-ticket voting

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A group of citizens who organize to win elections, hold public offices, operate governments & determine public policy Political party

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The winning candidate is the person who receives more votes than anyone else, but less than half the total Plurality election

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An electoral district from one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office & typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties Single-member district

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An historical period dominated by one political party Party era

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An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty Critical election

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The majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era ex: FDR led the New Deal Party realignment

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A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls Congress. Divided government

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An organization of people whose members share views on specific interests & attempt to influence public policy to their benefit. Unlike political parties, interest groups do no elect people to office Interest groups

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A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money & make contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support. Political Action Committee (PAC

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People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions. Labor unions & public interest groups often have a free-rider problem because people can benefit from the groups activities without joining Free riders

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The theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals, powerful corporate interest groups, & large financial institutions dominate key policy areas. Power elite theory

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The theory that many interest groups compete for power in a large number of policy areas Pluralist theory

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The theory that government policy is weakened & often contradictory because there are so many competing interest groups Hyperpluralist theory

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Means of communication such as newspapers, radio, TV, and the internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences Mass media

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Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main ones Linkage institutions

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The tendency of media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues Horse-race journalism

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The reallocation of the number of representatives each states has in the house of representatives Congressional redistricting

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The legislative process by which the majority party in each state legislature redraws congressional districts to ensure the maximum number of seats for its candidates gerrymandering

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An officeholder who is seeking reelection incumbent

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The right of members of congress to mail newsletters to their constituents at the governments expense Franking privilege

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Permanent subject- matter congressional committees that handle legislation & oversee the bureaucracy Standing committees

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Temporary bodies that are formed to resolve differences between House & Senate versions of a bill Conference committees

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Sets the guidelines for floor debates. It gives each bill a rule that places the bill on the legislative calendar, limits time for debate, and determines the type of amendments that will be allowed House Rules Committee

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House committee that handles tax bills House ways & means committee

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Unwritten rule in both houses of Congress reserving committee chairs to member of the committee with the longest records of continuous service. Seniority

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A way of delaying or preventing action on a bill by using long speeches & unlimited debate to talk a bill to death Majority Rule

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A Senate motion to end a filibuster & it requires a 3/5 vote cloture

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Tactic of mutual aid & vote trading among legislators logrolling

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Congressional review of the activities of an executive agency, department, or office. oversight

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When members of Congress cast votes based on the wished of their constituents Delegate role of representation

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A primary in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election & are not allowed to split their ticket Closed primary

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The recent pattern of states holding primaries early in order to maximize their media attention & political influence. 3/4 of the presidential primaries are now held between February & mid-March. Frontloading

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Contributions to political parties for party-building activities. Soft money contribution are used to circumvent limits on hard money Soft money

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A taw-exempt organization created to influence the political process & are not regulated by the federal election commission because they do not coordinate their activities with a candidate or party 572 group

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The presidents constitutional power to reject a bill passed by congress. Congress may override with a 2/3 votes in each chamber Veto

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The power to veto specific dollar amounts of line items from major congressional spending bills. The Supreme Court struck down this as an unconstitutional expansion of the presidents veto power Line-item veto

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A pact between the president & a head of a foreign state. They do not have to be approved by the Senate. However, unlike treaties, executive agreements are not part of U.S. law & are not binding on future presidents Executive agreement

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The president's power to refuse to disclose confidential information Executive privilege

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The period of time in which the presidents term is about to come to an end & has less influence Lame-duck period

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A large, complex organization of appointed officials bureaucracy

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A directive, order or regulation issued by the president Executive order

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An alliance among an administrative agency, an interest group & a congressional committee. Iron triangle

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A network that includes policy experts, media pundits, congressional staff member, & interest groups who regularly debate an issue Issue network

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A set of issue & problems that policy makers consider important. The mas media play an important role in influencing the issues which receive public attention Policy agenda

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The authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court Appellate jurisdiction

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An unwritten tradition whereby the Senate will not confirm nominations for lower court positions that are opposed by a senator of the presidents own party from the state in which the nominee is to serve Senatorial courtesy

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An order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the record in a given case for its review Writ of Certiorrari

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The Supreme Court will hear a case if four justices agree to do so. Rule of four

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is responsible for handling all appeals on behalf of the U.S. government to the Supreme Court Solicitor general

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A friend of the court brief filed by an interest group or interest party to influence a Supreme Court decision Amicus Curiae brief

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let the decision stand the vast majority of Supreme Court decisions are based on precedents established in earlier cases Stare Decisis

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Philosophy that the Supreme Court should use precedent & the framers original intent to decide cases Judicial restraint

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Philosophy that the Supreme Court must conduct injustices when other branches of government of the states refuse to do so Judicial activism

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A fundamental democratic principle requiring that the majoritys view be monetary policy involves regulating the money supply, controlled by the Federal Reserve Board Monetary Policy

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Raising & lowering taws and government spending programs. It is controlled by the executive & legislative branches Fiscal Policy

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A government-sponsored program that provides mandated benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements ex: Social Security & Medicare Entitlement program

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It is responsible for preparing the budget that the president submits to Congress Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

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Legal & constitutional rights that protect individuals from arbitrary acts of government. Ex: freedom of speech & guarantees of a fair trial Civil Liberties

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Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by government officials of individuals. Civil rights include laws prohibiting racial & gender discrimination Civil Rights

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The case-by-case process by which liberties listed in the bill of Rights have been applied to the states using the Due Process Clause of the 14 th Amendment Selective incorporation

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A provision of the 1 st Amendment that prohibits Congress from establishing an official government-sponsored religion Establishment clause

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A provision of the 1 st that guarantees each person the to believe what he or she wants. However, a religion cannot make an act legal that would otherwise by illegal Free exercise clause

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Judicial interpretation of the 1 st Amendment that government may not ban speech unless it poses an imminent threat to society Clear & present danger test

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A court order directing that prisoner be brought before a court & that the court officers show cause why the prisoner should not be released Writ of Habeas Corpus

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A legislative act the provides for the punishment of a person without a court trial Bill of Attainder

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A law applied to an act committed before the law was enacted Ex Post Facto Law

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Supreme Court guideline that prohibits evidence obtained by illegal searches or seizures from being admitted in court Exclusionary rule

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Warnings that police must read to suspects prior to questioning that advises them of their rights Miranda warnings

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Supreme Court rule that classification by race & ethnic background is inherently suspect & must be justified by a compelling public interest Strict scrutiny

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A policy requiring federal agencies, universities, & most employers to take positive steps to remedy the effects of past discrimination Affirmative action