Slander
false verbal statements about others that harm their reputation
Johnson v. Zerbst (1938)
Sixth amendment applies to federal criminal cases with possible imprisonment and too poor defendant. Gideon v. Wainwright
Random sampling
a statistical technique that gives everyone in the target group the same opportunity to participate in a poll
Closed rule
a rule issued by the House Committee on Rules, in which there is a strict time limit for debate and no amendments can be offered
Hate speech
offensive speech against racial or ethnic minorities, women, and homosexuals that creates a hostile environment
Deregulation
the process of reducing or completely eliminating federal government oversight of an industry so as to allow it to operate more freely; used to encourage competition and reduce costs to consumers
Trustee
method of enacting a constitution or amendment into law
Bicameral legislature
Public opinion
Majority leader
the elected leader of the party with the most seats in the House or Senate
Executive agreement
Enumerated powers
Hamdi v. Rumsfield (2004)
Caucus
locally held meeting in a state to select delegates who, in turn, will nominate candidates to political office
Bench trial
a trial in which the judge who presides over the trial decides on guilt or liability
holds that the Court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political questions, operating strictly within the limits of the Constitution
Nonpartisan election
an election in which candidates run as independents without party affiliation
a system in which each branch of the government has the power to limit the other branches of government so that one is not dominant; each branch of government is subject to restraints by the other two branches
Progressive
the process of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts to reflect population changes in the census; responsibility for redistricting usually falls to the state legislatures; follows reapportionment
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
Symbolic speech
using actions and symbols rather than words to convey an idea
On the record information
provided in an interview that a reported can quote and attribute to the source, referring to the source by name
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
Iron triangle
alliances that develop between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Found a "right to privacy" in the Constitution that would ban any state law against selling contraceptives
Legislative courts
courts courts created by Congress for a specialized purpose with a narrow range of authority; judges serve a fixed term
District courts
Margin of error
the percentage that a scientific poll is likely to be off; a margin of error of +/- 3 percent is common
