AP Gov Vocab-All Part 13

Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

The requirement that plaintiffs have a sustained or are likely to sustain a direct and substantial injury from another party or from an action of government.

A Latin phrase meaning "let the decision stand." Most cases reaching appellate courts are settled on this principle.

The judicial interpretation of an act of Congress. In some cases where statutory construction is an issue, Congress passes new legislation to clarify existing laws.

A phrase coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion.

The legal right to vote in the United States, gradually extended to virtually all citizens over the age of 18.

Independent expenditure-only PACs are known as Super PACs because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention.

A fund created by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites. Money for the fund comes from taxing chemical products.

An economic theory, first applied during the Reagan administration, holding that the key task for fiscal policy is to stimulate the supply of goods, as by cutting tax rates.

The clause in Article VI fo the Constitution that makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

The pinnacle of the American judicial system. The Court ensures uniformity in interpreting national laws, resolves conflicts among states, and maintains national supremacy in law. it has both original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction.

Nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some symbolic speech protection under the First Amendment.

A shot of a person's face talking directly to the camera. Because such shots are visually unstimulating, the major networks rarely show politicians talking for very long.

A special tax added to imported goods to raise their price, thereby protecting businesses and workers fro foreign competition.

Revenue losses that result from special exemptions, exclusions, or deductions allowed by federal tax law.

Replacing Aid fo Families with Dependent Children as the program for public assistance to needy families, TANF requires people on welfare to find work within two years and sets a lifetime maximum of five years.

The constitutional amendment stating, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

A 1989 case in which the Supreme Court struck down a law banning the burning of the American flag on the grounds that such action was symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.

The constitutional amendment ratified after the Civil War that forbade slavery and involuntary servitude.

Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.

Benefits given by the government directly to individuals-either cash transfers, such as Social Security payments, or in-kind transfers, such as food stamps and low-interest college loans.

Intentional news leaks for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.

Ratified in 1967, this amendment permits the vice president to become acting president if the vice president and the president's cabinet determine that the president is disabled, and it outlines how a recuperated president can reclaim the job.

The constitutional amendment passed in 1964 that declared poll taxes void in federal elections.

Ratified in 1951, this amendment limits presidents to two terms of office.

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Expenditures that are determined by how many eligible beneficiaries there are for a program or by previous obligations of the government and that Congress therefore cannot easily control.

As measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a statistic that includes (1) people who aren't working and are actively seeking a job, (2) those who would like to work but have given up looking, and (3) and those who are working par-time because they cannot find a full-time position.

As measured by the Bureau of labor Statistics, the proportion of the labor force actively seeking work but unable to find jobs.

A provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment.

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most national governments today are unitary governments.

Created in 1945 and currently including 193 member nations, with a central peacekeeping mission and programs in areas including economic development and health, education, and welfare. The seat of real power in the UN is the Security Council.

Obtaining evidence in a haphazard or random manner, a practice prohibited by the fourth Amendment. Probable cause and/or a search warrant are required for a legal and proper search for and seizure of incriminating evidence.

The constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it. A two thirds vote in each house can override a veto.

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population.

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register prior to voting. Some states require citizens to register as much as 30 days in advance, whereas others permit Election Day registration.

A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African American suffrage. Under the law, hundreds of thousands of African Americans were registered, and the number of African American elected officials increased dramatically.

A law passed in 1973, in reaction to American fighting in Vietnam and Cambodia, that requires presidents to consult with Congress when ever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension. However, presidents have viewed the resolution as unconstitutional.

A law intended to clean up the nation's rivers and lakes by enabling regulation of point sources of pollution.

The events and scandal surrounding a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 and the subsequent cover-up of White House involvement, ending to the eventual resignation of President Nixon under the threat of impeachment.

The value of assets owned.

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

Primary elections from which African Americans were excluded, an exclusion that, in the heavily Democratic South, deprived African Americans of a voice in the real contests. The Supreme Court declared white primaries unconstitutional in 1944.

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.

A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

The 2002 Supreme Court decision that upheld a state program providing families with vouchers that could be used to pay for tuition at religious schools.

A 1978 Supreme Court decision holding that a search warrant could be applied to a newspaper without necessarily violating the First Amendment rights to freedom of the press.