Floor leadersdirect majority or minority party strategy and decisions in the House and Senate
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Frozen!
Boost!
Boost!
Rule of foura rule that says that four of the nine Supreme Court justices must agree in conference to hear a case
a consistent set of beliefs about politics and public policy that sets the framework for evaluating government and public policy
Independent executive agency
voting for candidates all of the same party
Referenduma general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct
Superdelegatesparty officials in the Democratic Party who attend the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses
Johnson v. Zerbst (1938)Sixth amendment applies to federal criminal cases with possible imprisonment and too poor defendant. Gideon v. Wainwright
Bill of Rightsthe first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect basic civil liberties
Federalistsupported a strong central government and ratification of the Constitution
basic rights that are guaranteed to all persons; basic rights a government cannot deny
Ratificationmethod of enacting a constitution or amendment into law
Dissenting opinionopinion justice or justices who voted in the minority, explaining the reasons for opposing the majority opinion
Hyde Amendment (1976)Passed by Congress in 1976; excludes abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid.
Briefa written document submitted to a court that presents the facts and legal reasoning of a party to the lawsuit
executive privilegea 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
a tax that is assessed on everyone at the same rate and, therefore, impacts the poor more than it impacted wealthy; sales tax is regressive
prior restraint
segregation segregation that results from law
Reapportionment
legislation giving benefits to constituents through sometimes unnecessary or unwise projects within a state or district, to enhance a member's chance of reelection
an elected official who considers it an obligation to vote the way the majority of his or her constituents wants
Libertarianismpeople who wish to maximize the personal liberty on both economic and social issues; prefer small,
Fighting words
nominating election held to choose party candidates who will run in the general election
a brief submitted to the court by an interested third party that outlines issues it thinks are important in the case. amicus curiae literally means "friend of the court"
an individual who benefits from the activities of an interest group but does not support the group either financially or through active participation
At-large
De facto segregationsegregation that results from living patterns rather than law
Devolution
a tax that is assessed on everyone at the same rate and, therefore, impacts the poor more than it impacted wealthy; sales tax is regressive
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Voter turnoutthe total number of votes cast for the highest office on the ballot
Politicoa 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 (some foreign policy or regulatory matters)
segregation that results from living patterns rather than law
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Boost!
Concurrent jurisdictionjurisdiction the authority to hear cases is shared by federal and state courts
Rideran addition or amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own
executive privilege
Federal question
Powell v. Alabama (1932)The Supreme Court ruled here that the right to counsel was required by law in death penalty trials. Also, capital cases must have counsel when defendant cannot defend because of "ignorance, feeblemindedness, illiteracy, or the like". Selective Incorporation case based on the sixth amendment. Gideon v. Wainwright
Political ideology
a person whose political views favor more local, limited government, fewer government regulations,
Dealignmentwhen a significant number of voters choose to no longer support a particular political party
allows citizens to register to vote at welfare and motor vehicle offices
provided in an interview that a reported can quote and attribute to the source, referring to the source by name
speech plus
Cloturea 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
redistribution of the 435 congressional seats among the states after the census determines changes in population distribution
Cooperative federalism
Judicial restraint
Moderateperson whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies
Earmarka designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure
Deficitgovernment spending exceeds revenue
Roe v. Wade (1973)The Right to Privacy extends to letting women make decisions about their bodies without government surveillance.
Gender gapa situation in which men and women hold different positions on a wide range of political issues
information provided in an interview that a reported can use but cannot make even an indirect reference to the source
a shift of voting patterns to form new coalitions of party support
Advice and consent
Slanderfalse verbal statements about others that harm their reputation
Policy formulationthe development of an approach to solving a problem that is on the political agenda