Diplomacy
the conduct of international relations, particularly involving the negotiation of treaties and other agreements between nations
Senatorial courtesy
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
Eminent domain
agreement at the constitutional convention that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House of Representatives and for taxation
Political agenda
Unitary system
a political system in which all power is derived from the central government
government corporation
corporation a corporation that may receive part of its funding from Congress and is managed by a board appointed by the president; the function it performs could be carried out by private enterprise; an example is the US Postal service
Patronage
the system in which a party leader rewarded political supporters with jobs or government contracts in exchange for their support of the party
when Congress rejects an action of the president by a majority vote of both houses; declared
Pure speech
verbal communication of ideas and opinions
government departments headed by presidential appointees to help establish public policy and operate a specific policy area of governmental activity
the first written constitution of the United States, which went into effect in 1781; it created a unicameral legislature, in which each state had one vote but no executive or judicial authority; the power of the central government was extremely limited
Moderate
standards or guides based on prior decisions that serve as a rule for settling similar disputes
Keynesian economics
the exchange of political favors for support of a bill; an agreement between two or more members of Congress to vote for each other's bills
Monetary policy
Ideology
a consistent set of beliefs by groups or individuals
Mandates
requirements imposed by the national government on state and local governments to comply with federal
Divided government
one party controls the executive (president) and the other party controls one or both houses of Congress
Inherent powers
powers powers, usually claimed by the president, that are implied but not specifically stated in the Constitution or are derived from the office
prior restraint
money used directly by a candidate running for office; it is subject to campaign finance laws and Federal
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
Random sampling
Congress's authority to review a new federal regulation enacted by a regulatory agency and overrule it through a joint resolution
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Concurrent powers
governmental powers shared by the federal and state governments
Whip
a majority/minority party leader in Congress who makes sure the party members are present for important votes and vote by party
Entitlement
government benefits provided to Americans who qualify because of their age, income, and/or status
