AP Government duel

Block grants

Bench trial

Senatorial courtesy

government benefits provided to Americans who qualify because of their age, income, and/or status

Platform a statement of a political party on the issues facing the country, adopted at the national convention; each issue position is known as a plank

Unitary system a political system in which all power is derived from the central government

requirements imposed by the national government on state and local governments to comply with federal

Political agenda issues that merit action, as determined by the public or those in power

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) establishes? The government cannot exert prior restraint.

one party controls the executive (president) and the other party controls one or both houses of Congress

Political action committees (PAC$) extension of an interest group that contributes money to political campaigns

Political culture a set of basic values and beliefs about one's country or government that is shared by most citizens

Pure speech verbal communication of ideas and opinions

Dealigning election party loyalty becomes less important to voters, and they vote for the other party candidate or

Bill of Rights the first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect basic civil liberties

powers powers, usually claimed by the president, that are implied but not specifically stated in the Constitution or are derived from the office

Markup

national laws supersedes all other laws passed by states

Realignment a shift of voting patterns to form new coalitions of party support

Opinion leaders those individuals held in great respect because of their position, expertise, or personality, who may

Conservative a person whose political views favor more local, limited government, fewer government regulations,

a permanent committee of Congress that deals with legislation and oversight in a broad policy area

Congressional oversight refers to the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation

a claim by the president or a member of the executive branch that information or documents requested by Congress or the courts do not have to be turned over because of the separation of powers

Representative democracy citizens choose officials who make decisions about public policy; a republic

Bill a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

Superdelegates party officials in the Democratic Party who attend the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

North American Free Trade Agreement

Concurrent powers governmental powers shared by the federal and state governments

powers that the Constitution specifically grants to the federal government

Get-out-the-vote a campaign near the end of an election to get voters out to the polls

Deregulation

people who have no party affiliation

Great compromise a solution to the problem of representation at the constitutional convention, in which the number of members that each state would have in the House is determined by population, while each state would have equal representation in the Senate (two senators per state)

Divided government

Congressional oversight

the first court to hear and decide a case; US district courts and the US Supreme Court have original jurisdiction in cases involving foreign affairs, states or the national government

Religion does not override child labor laws. Wisconsin v. Yoder

Media event a speech or photo opportunity staged to give a politician's view on an issue; staged to present the candidate in a good light

Direct primary party members vote to nominate their candidate for the general election

Majority opinion the majority of justices agree on the decision and the reasons for the decision

the practice of allowing senators from the president's party who represent the state where a judicial district is located, to approve or disapprove potential nominees for the lower federal courts

a group of private citizens whose goal is to influence and shape public policy

Equal Protection Clause constitutional guarantee that everyone be treated equally

Cloture a method for cutting off a filibuster in the Senate; sixteen votes are needed to call for cloture and sixty are needed to end a filibuster

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Pure speech verbal communication of ideas and opinions

Precedent standards or guides based on prior decisions that serve as a rule for settling similar disputes

Free exercise clause

a division of governmental powers between the national government and the states

Incumbent

Public policy the exercise of government power in doing those things necessary to maintain legitimate authority and control over society

Federal budget decicit the difference in any year between government spending and government revenue

Public opinion

Implied powers powers not expressed, but may be considered through the use of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause

Grants-in-aid programs, money, and resources provided by the federal government to state and local governments to be used for specific projects and programs

practice by which power is divided among three branches of government; each branch has its own powers and duties and is independent of and equal to the other branches

jurisdiction the authority to hear cases is shared by federal and state courts

Joint committee a committee of Congress made up of members of both houses that focuses on issues of general concern but does not propose legislation

Devolution

End this game?