Term
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Definition
| The process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the decennial census according to their proportion of the population. |
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Term
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Definition
| The redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state. |
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Term
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Definition
| The legislative through which the majority party in each statehouse tries to assure that the maximum number of representatives from its political party can be elected to Congress through the redrawing of legislative districts. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. All executive orders must be published in the Federal Register. |
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Definition
| The political party in each house of Congress with the second most members. |
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Term
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Definition
| The political party in each house of Congress with the most members. |
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Definition
| Key representative who keeps close contact with all members and takes nose counts on key votes, prepares summaries of bills, and in general acts as communications link within the party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Includes members from both houses of Congress; conducts investigations or special studies. |
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Term
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Definition
| The official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Committee to which proposed bills are referred. |
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Term
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Definition
| Joint committee created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of specific piece of legislation. |
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Term
| Select (or special) Committee |
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Definition
| Temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation study. |
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Term
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Definition
| In charge of determining under what rule bills come to the floor. |
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Term
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Definition
| Petition that gives a majority of the House of Representatives the authority to bring an issue to the floor in the face of committee inaction. |
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Term
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Definition
| Legislation that allows representatives to bring home the bacon to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly. |
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Term
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Definition
| Funds that an appropriations bill designates for a particular purpose within a state or congressional district. |
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Term
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Definition
| The fact that being in office helps a person stay in office because of a variety of benefits that go with the position. |
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Term
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Definition
| If incumbency, don't have to pay for materials if used for office. |
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by elected representatives who listen to constituents' opinions and then use their best judgment to make final decisions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by elected representatives who vote the way their constituents would want them to, regardless. |
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Term
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Definition
| Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue. |
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Term
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Definition
| Social issue that splits a population or political group. |
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Term
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Definition
| Vote trading, voting yea to support a colleague's bill in return for a promise of future support. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organized group that tries to influence public policy sharing common attitudes or values. |
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Term
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Definition
| Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political persuasion. |
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Term
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Definition
| Federally mandated, officially registered fund-raising committee that represents interest groups in the political process. |
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Term
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Definition
| A legislature divided into two houses; the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures are bicameral except Nebraska, which is unicameral. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tactic by which a senator asks to be informed before a particular bill is brought to the floor. This stops the bill from coming to the floor until the hold is removed. |
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Term
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Definition
| A formal way of halting action on a bill by means of long speeches and debate in the Senate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mechanism requiring sixty senators to vote to cut off the debate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Formal constitutional authority of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of the legislative body, thus preventing their becoming law without further congressional authority. |
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Term
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Definition
| Vetoing a certain line or part of a bill. (unconstitutional) |
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Term
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Definition
| If Congress adjourns during the ten days the president has to consider a bill passed by both houses of Congress, without the president's signature, the bill is considered vetoed. |
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Term
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Definition
| A process whereby Congress can nullify agency regulations by a joint resolution of legislative disapproval. |
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Term
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Definition
| Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period. |
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Term
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Definition
| House of Representatives can start impeachment process, trial takes place in the Senate. |
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Term
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Definition
| The political condition in which different political parties control the White House and Congress. |
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Term
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Definition
| The only officer in the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; elected at the beginning of each new Congress by the entire House; traditionally a member of the majority party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Legislative designation of money for particular uses. |
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Term
| Articles of Confederation |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Powers of president are outlined. |
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Term
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Definition
| Adopted in 1951, prevents a president form serving more than two terms, or more than ten years if he came to office via the death or impeachment of his predecessor. |
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Term
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Definition
| The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other "civil officers" including federal judges, with "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes or Misdemeanors." This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing such government officials form office. |
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Term
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Definition
| An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or the judiciary. |
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Term
| Presidential Succession Act |
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Definition
| Establishes presidential line of succession. (Vice president, Speaker of the House, president pro tempore of Senate...) |
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Term
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Definition
| The formal body of presidential advisers who head the fifteen executive departments. Presidents often add others to this body of formal advisers. |
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Term
| Constitutional Powers of President |
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Definition
| Appointment Power, Convene Congress, Make treaties, Veto, Commander in Chief, Pardon |
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Term
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Definition
| Formal government agreement entered into by the president that does not require the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| An executive grant providing restoration of all rights and privileges of citizenship to a specific individual charged or convicted of a crime. |
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Term
| Executive Office of the President (EOP) |
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Definition
| Created in 1939 to help the president oversee the executive branch bureaucracy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Personal assistants to the president, typically a chief of staff. Others include counselors to the president; domestic, foreign, and economic policy strategists; communications staff; White House counsel; and a lobbyist who acts as a liaison between the president and Congress. |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers that belong to the national government simply because it is a sovereign state. |
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Term
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Definition
| Major administrative units with responsibility for a broad area of government operations. Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular governmental function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture. |
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Term
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Definition
| The relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among an agency, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. |
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Term
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Definition
| Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and political allies for their support. |
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Term
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Definition
| The firing of public-office holders of a defeated political party and their replacement with loyalists of the newly elected party. |
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Term
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Definition
| The system by which federal civil service jobs are classified into grades or levels, to which appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinations. |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers granted to the government by the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| Reform measure that created the Civil Service Commission to administer a partial merit system. The act classified the federal service by grades, to which appointments were made based on the results of a competitive examination. It made it illegal for federal political appointees to be required to contribute to a particular political party. |
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Term
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Definition
| The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas. |
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Term
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Definition
| Governmental unit that closely resembles a Cabinet department but has a narrower area of responsibility (such as the CIA) and is not part of any Cabinet department. |
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Term
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Definition
| An agency created by Congress that is generally concerned with a specific aspect of the economy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Business established by Congress to perform functions that can be provided by private businesses (such as the U.S. Postal Service). |
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Term
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Definition
| Units that indicate a permanent national interest in a particular government function such as defense, commerce, or agriculture. |
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Term
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Definition
| Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate. (Reversed in 1993 by Federal Employees Political Activities Act) |
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Term
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Definition
| Madison stresses that the judicial branch is the weakest branch and not a threat. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power of the courts to review acts of other branches of government and the states. (Resolved in two court cases) |
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Term
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Definition
| Vague description of the judiciary. |
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Term
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Definition
| Trial, appellate, Supreme Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| Jusitces interpreted the Court's jurisdiction under Article III, section 2 to include the right to hear suits brought by a citizen against a state in which he did not reside. |
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Term
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Definition
| Makes states immune from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state; lays the foundation of sovereign immunity. |
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Term
| Marbury v. Madison (1803) |
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Definition
| Case in which the Supreme Court first asserted the power of judicial review in finding that the congressional statute extending the Court’s jurisdiction was unconstitutional. |
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Term
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Definition
| Courts of original jurisdiction where cases begin. |
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Term
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Definition
| Courts that generally review only findings of law made by lower courts. |
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Term
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Definition
| A prior judicial decision that serves as a rule for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature. |
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Term
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Definition
| In court rulings, a reliance on past decisions or precedents to formulate decisions in new cases. |
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Term
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Definition
| A request for the Court to order up the records from a lower court to review the case. |
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Term
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Definition
| Denied the right to writ of certiorari. |
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Term
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Definition
| – A philosophy of judicial decision making that argues courts should allow the decisions of other branches of government to stand, even when they offend a judge’s own sense of principles. |
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Term
| Strict Constructionalists |
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Definition
| An approach to constitutional interpretation that emphasizes the Framers’ original intentions. |
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Term
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Definition
| A philosophy of judicial decision making that argues judges should use their power broadly to further justice, especially in the areas of equality and personal liberty. |
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Term
| Behavioral Characteristics |
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Definition
| Past experiences can effect judicial decisions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Judges weigh and asses their actions against those of other justices to optimize the chances that their preferences will be adopted by the whole Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| Codes of behavior related to business and contractual relationships between groups and individuals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Codes of behavior related to the protection of property and individual safety. |
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Term
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Definition
| The power vested in an appellate court to review and/or revise the decision of a lower court. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authority invested in a particular court to hear and decide the issues in any particular case. |
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Term
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Definition
| Written opinion by one or more judges that agrees with the overall decision of the Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| Written opinion by one or more judges that does not agree with the overall decision of the Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| At least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard. |
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Term
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Definition
| The fourth-ranking member of the Department of Justice; responsible for handling all appeals on behalf of the U.S. government to the Supreme Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. Courts determine the facts of a case under their original jurisdiction. |
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Term
| Broad (loose) construction |
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Definition
| Less reliance on framers intentions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Supreme court justices are appointed for life. |
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Term
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Definition
| The formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted. |
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Term
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Definition
| Member of the political community to whom certain rights and obligations are attached. |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of who gets what, when, and how or how policy decisions are made. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power is invested in hierarchy kings and queens who govern in the interest of all. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power resides in a leader who rules according to self-interest and without regard for individual rights and liberties. |
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Term
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Definition
| Right to participate is conditioned on the possession of wealth, social status, military possession, or achievements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gives power to the people, whether directly or through elected representatives. |
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Term
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Definition
| An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Belief that people are free and equal by God-given right and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Members of the polity meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule. |
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Term
| Indirect (representative) Democracy |
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Definition
| Gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who will work on their behalf. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rooted in the consent of the governed; an indirect democracy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and care values about how government should operate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Initially meaning freedom from government interference, today it includes demands for freedom to engage in a variety of practices free from interference or discrimination. |
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Term
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Definition
| All citizens are equal in the political process that is implied by the phrase “one person, one vote”. |
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Term
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Definition
| Idea that governments must draw their powers form the consent of the governed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Central promise of direct democracy in which only policies that collectively garners the support of a majority of voters will be made into law. |
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Term
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Definition
| The notion that the ultimate authority in society rests with the people. |
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Term
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Definition
| Doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that the part of nature and, as such, can be understood by reason. |
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Term
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Definition
| Society created when citizens are allowed to organize and express their views publically as they engage in an open debate about public policy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Economic theory designed to increase a nation’s wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade. |
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Term
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Definition
| Meeting of representatives of nine of the thirteen colonies held in New York City in 1765, during which representatives drafted a document to send to the king listing how their rights had been violated. |
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Term
| Committees of Correspondence |
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Definition
| Organizations in each of American colonies created to keep colonists abreast of developments with British. |
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Term
| First Continental Congress |
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Definition
| Met in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in which 56 delegates adopted a resolution in opposition to Coercive Acts. (No Georgia) |
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Term
| Second Continental Congress |
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Definition
| Meeting that convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, at which it was decided that an army was needed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of government where the national government derives its powers from the states. |
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Term
| Declaration of Independence |
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Definition
| Document drafted by Jefferson in 1776 that proclaimed right to separate. |
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Term
| Articles of Confederation |
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Definition
| – Compact among the thirteen original states that was the basis of their government. Lacks central government. |
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Term
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Definition
| A 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled and angry farmers led by Daniel Shays marched to Springfield Mass. And forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms. |
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Term
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Definition
| A document establishing the structure, functions, and limitations of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| First plan for constitution, proposed by James Madison and Edmond Randolph. Its key points were a bicameral legislature, an executive chosen by the legislature, and judiciary also named by legislature. |
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Term
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Definition
| Framework for constitution proposed by a group of small states; its key points were one house legislature with one vote per state. |
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Term
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Definition
| Gives each state same number of representatives in Senate regardless of size. House of Representatives is based on population. |
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Term
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Definition
| Slaves count as 3/5 of a person for population. |
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Term
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Definition
| A way of dividing power among three branches of government in which members of the House of Representatives, members of the Senate, the president, and the federal courts are selected by and responsible to different constituencies. |
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Term
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Definition
| A governmental structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others. |
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Term
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Definition
| Plan of government created in the U.S. Constitution in which power is divided between the national government and the state governments and in which independent states are bound together under one national government. |
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Term
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Definition
| Seventeen specific powers granted to Congress under Article I, section 8, of the U.S. constitution; theses powers include taxation, coinage of money, regulation of commerce, and the authority to provide for a national defense. |
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Term
| Necessary and Proper Clause |
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Definition
| The final paragraph of Article I, section 8, of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the authority to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the Constitution; also called the elastic clause. |
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Term
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Definition
| Powers derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause. These powers are not stated specifically but are considered to be reasonably implied through the exercise of delegated powers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Portion of Article VI of the U.S. constitution mandating that national law is supreme to (that is, supersedes) all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| Those who favored a strong central government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution; later became the first U.S. political party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government; opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| A series of eighty-five political papers written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| System of government where the national government and state governments share some powers, derive all authority from the people, and the powers of the national government are specified in the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| Type of government where the national government derives its powers from the states; a league of independent states. |
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Term
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Definition
| System of government where the local and regional governments derive all authority from a strong national government. |
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Term
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Definition
| The final part of the Bill of Rights that defines the basic principle of American federalism in 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.” |
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Term
| Reserve(or police) Powers |
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Definition
| Powers reserved to the states by the Tenth Amendment that lie at the foundation of a state’s right to legislate for the public health and welfare of its citizens. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authority possessed by both the state and national governments that may be exercised concurrently as long as that power is not exclusively within the scope of national power or in conflict with national law. |
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Term
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Definition
| A law declaring an act illegal without a judicial trial. |
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Term
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Definition
| Law passed after the fact, thereby making previously legal activity illegal and subject to current penalty; prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. |
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Term
| Full Faith and Credit Clause |
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Definition
| Section of Article IV of the Constitution that ensures judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state. |
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Term
| Privileges and Immunities Clause |
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Definition
| Part of Article IV of the Constitution guaranteeing that the citizens of each state are afforded the same rights as citizens of all other states. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of Article IV that requires states to extradite, or return, criminals to states where they have been convicted or are to stand trial. |
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Term
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Definition
| Contracts between states that carry the force of law; generally now used as a tool to address multistate policy concerns. |
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Term
| McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) |
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Definition
| The Supreme Court upheld the power of the national government and denied the right of a state to tax the federal band using the Constitution’s supremacy clause. The Court’s broad interpretation of the necessary and proper clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Supreme Court upheld broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce. The Court’s broad interpretation of the Constitution’s commerce clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers. |
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Term
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Definition
| The belief that having separate and equally powerful levels of government is the best arrangement. |
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Term
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Definition
| Authorized Congress to enact a national income tax. |
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Term
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Definition
| Made senators directly elected by the people; removed their selection from state legislatures. |
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Term
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Definition
| The relationship between the national and state governments that began with the New Deal. |
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Term
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Definition
| Grant for which Congress appropriates funds for a specific purpose. |
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Term
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Definition
| Federal/state relationship proposed by Reagan administration during the 1980s; hallmark is returning administrative powers to the state governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Broad grant with few strings attached; given to states by the federal government for specified activities, such as secondary education or health services. |
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Term
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Definition
| National laws that direct states or local governments to comply with federal rules or regulations (such as clean air or water standards) but contain little or no federal funding to defray the cost of meeting these requirements. |
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Term
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Definition
| A concept derived from the Constitution’s supremacy clause that allows the national government to override or preempt state or local actions in certain areas. |
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Term
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Definition
| The right of a state to be free from lawsuit unless it gives permission to the suit. Under the Eleventh Amendment, all states are considered sovereign. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values. |
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Term
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Definition
| What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time. |
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Term
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Definition
| Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population. |
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Term
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Definition
| Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies. |
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Term
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Definition
| A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected. |
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Term
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Definition
| A variation of random sampling; census data are used to divide the country into four sampling regions. Sets of countries and standard metropolitan statistical areas are then randomly selected in proportion to the total national population. |
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Term
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Definition
| Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate. |
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Term
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Definition
| Continuous surveys that enable a campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support. |
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Term
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Definition
| Polls conducted at selected polling places on Election Day. |
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Term
| Sampling error or margin of error |
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Definition
| A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll. |
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Term
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Definition
| The coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals.f |
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Term
| Conventional Political Participation |
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Definition
| Political participation that attempts to influence the political process through well-accepted, often moderate forms of persuasion. (voting) |
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Term
| Unconventional Political Participation |
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Definition
| Political participation that attempts to influence the political process through unusual or extreme measures, such as protests, boycotts, and picketing. |
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Term
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Definition
| The proportion of the voting-age public votes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election. |
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Term
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Definition
| A voter’s evaluation of the performance of the party in power. |
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Term
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Definition
| A voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of government that bases its rule on force rather than consent of the governed. |
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Term
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Definition
| The citizens eligible to vote. |
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Term
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Definition
| A command, indicated by an electorate’s votes, for the elected officials. |
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Term
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Definition
| Election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election. |
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Term
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Definition
| A primary election in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to vote. |
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Term
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Definition
| A primary in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to vote. |
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Term
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Definition
| Participation in the primary of a party with which the voter is not affiliated. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organized attempt by voters of one party to influence the primary results of the other party. |
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Term
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Definition
| A second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary. |
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Term
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Definition
| Election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices. |
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Term
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Definition
| An election option such as the initiative or referendum that enables voters to enact public policy. |
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Term
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Definition
| An election that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the states electorate for popular vote. |
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Definition
| An election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation to the state’s voters for approval. |
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Definition
| An election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office by popular vote. |
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Definition
| Party members meet in small groups throughout a state to discuss and select the party’s delegates to the national convention. |
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Definition
| The tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar. |
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Definition
| A traditional party practice under which the majority of a state delegation can force the minority to vote for its new candidate. |
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Definition
| Delegate slot to the Democratic Party’s national convention that is reserved for an elected party official. |
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Definition
| Representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president. |
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Definition
| Member of the Electoral College chosen by methods determined in each state. |
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Definition
| The reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census. |
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Term
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Definition
| The holding of an office. |
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Term
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Definition
| Redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states as well as population shifts within a state. |
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Definition
| The legislative through which the majority party in each statehouse tries to assure that the maximum number of representatives from its political party can be elected to Congress through the redrawing of legislative districts. |
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Definition
| An election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term. |
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Definition
| A proposed system in which the country would be divided into five or six geographic areas and all states in each region would hold their presidential primary elections on the same day. |
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Definition
| If incumbency, then don’t have to pay for materials that are used solely for used for office. |
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Term
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Definition
| That part of a political campaign aimed at winning a primary election. |
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Term
| General Election Campaign |
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Definition
| That part of a political campaign aimed at winning a general election. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone. |
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Term
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Definition
| A push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls. |
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Definition
| The individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the many different aspects of the campaign. |
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Definition
| A professional who coordinates the fund-raising efforts for the campaign. |
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Definition
| A professional who takes public opinion surveys that guide political campaigns. |
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Definition
| A professional who supervises a political campaign’s direct mail fund-raising strategies. |
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Definition
| The person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate, blending free press coverage with paid TV, radio, and mail media. |
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Term
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Definition
| The individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis. |
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Definition
| The campaign staff that makes use of web-based resources to communicate with voters, raise funds, organize volunteers, and plan campaign events. |
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Term
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Definition
| A private-sector professional who sells to a candidate the technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected. |
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Definition
| A professional who produces candidates’ television, radio, and print advertisements. |
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Term
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Definition
| Political ads purchased for a candidate’s campaign. |
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Term
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Definition
| Coverage of a candidate’s campaign by the news media. |
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Term
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Definition
| New technologies, such as the Internet, that blur the line between paid and free media sources. |
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Term
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Definition
| Advertisement on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate’s qualifications, family, and issue positions, without reference to the opponent. |
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Term
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Definition
| Advertisement on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent’s platform or character. |
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Term
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Definition
| Advertisement that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the sponsor. |
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Term
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Definition
| Television advertising on behalf of a candidate that is broadcast in 60, 30, or 10 second duration. |
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Term
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Definition
| Advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched. |
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Term
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Definition
| Forum in which political candidates face each other to discuss their platforms, records, and character. |
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Term
| Political Action Committee (PAC) |
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Definition
| Federally mandated, officially registered fund-raising committee that represents interest groups in the political process. |
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Term
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Definition
| Donations from the general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates. |
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Term
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Definition
| Donations to presidential campaigns from the federal government that are determined by the amount of private funds a qualifying candidate raises. |
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Term
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Definition
| The virtually unregulated money funded by individuals and political committees through state and local governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Legally specified and limited contributions that are clearly regulated by the federal election campaign act and by the Federal Election Commission. |
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Term
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Definition
| Nonprofit and unregulated interest groups that focus on specific causes of policy positions and attempt to influence voters. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organized effort by office holders, candidates, activists, and voters to pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process. |
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Term
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Definition
| The office holders who organize themselves and pursue policy objectives under a government label. |
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Term
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Definition
| The workers and activists who make up the party’s formal structure. |
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Term
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Definition
| The voters who consider themselves allied or associated with the party. |
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Term
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Definition
| A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity. |
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Term
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Definition
| The selection of party candidates through the ballots of qualified votes rather than at party nomination conventions. |
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Term
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Definition
| These acts removed the staffing the bureaucracy from political parties and created a professional bureaucracy filled through competition. |
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Term
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Definition
| Politics that focuses on specific issues rather than on party candidate, or other loyalties. |
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Term
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Definition
| To vote for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election. |
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Term
| Candidate-Centered Politics |
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Definition
| Politics that focuses directly on the candidates, their particular issues, and character, rather than on party affiliation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A shifting of party coalition groupings in the electorate that remains in place for several elections. |
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Term
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Definition
| An election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues. |
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Term
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Definition
| The gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group made up of interests or organizations that join forces for the purpose of electing public officials. |
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Term
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Definition
| A statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention. |
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Term
| Proportional Representation |
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Definition
| A voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage vote won by a particular political party. |
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Term
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Definition
| An electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election. |
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Term
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Definition
| A party conclave (meeting) held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform. |
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Term
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Definition
| Institutional collection of policy-oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas. |
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Term
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Definition
| A citizen’s personal affinity for a political party, usually expressed by his or her tendency to vote for the candidates of that party. |
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Term
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Definition
| A general decline in partisan identification and loyalty in the electorate. |
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Term
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Definition
| The entire array of organizations through which information is collected and disseminated to the general public. |
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Term
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Definition
| Media providing the public with new information about subjects of public interest. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of newspaper publishing in vogue in the late nineteenth century that featured pictures, comics, color, and sensationalized, oversimplified news coverage. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of journalism, in vogue in the early twentieth century, concerned with reforming government and business conduct. |
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Term
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Definition
| The traditional form of mass media, comprising newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and journals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Television, radio, cable, and satellite services. |
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Term
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Definition
| Technologies, such as the Internet, that blur the line between media sources and create new opportunities for the dissemination of news and other information. |
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Term
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Definition
| An association of broadcast stations (radio or television) that share programming through a financial agreement. |
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Term
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Definition
| Local television stations that carry the programming of a national network. |
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Term
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Definition
| An electronic delivery of news gathered by the news service’s correspondents and sent to all member news media organizations. |
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Term
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Definition
| Targeting media programming at specific populations within society. |
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Term
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Definition
| Web-based journal entries that provide an editorial and news outlet for citizens. |
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Term
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Definition
| Government attempts to regulate the substance of mass media. |
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Term
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Definition
| The rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it to any. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rule in effect from 1949 to 1985 requiring broadcasters to cover events adequately and to present contrasting views on important public issues. |
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Term
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Definition
| A document offering an official comment or position. |
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Term
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Definition
| A relatively restricted session between a press secretary or aide and the press. |
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Term
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Definition
| An unrestricted session between an elected official and the press. |
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Term
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Definition
| Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to a named source. |
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Term
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Definition
| Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to any source. |
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Term
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Definition
| Information provided to a journalist that will not be released to the public. |
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Term
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Definition
| Information provided to a journalist that can be released and attributed by name to the source. |
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Term
| New York Times Co. v Sullivan (1964) |
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Definition
| The Supreme Court concluded that “actual malice” must be proved to support a finding of libel against a public figure. |
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Term
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Definition
| The influence of news sources on public opinion. |
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Term
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Definition
| The constant process of forming the list of issued to be addressed by government. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which a news organization defines a political issue and consequently affects opinion about the issue. |
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Term
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Definition
| The myriad relationship that individuals enjoy that facilitate the resolution of community problems through collective action. |
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Term
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Definition
| The tendency to form small-scale associations for the common good. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organized group that tries to influence public policy sharing common attitudes or values. |
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Term
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Definition
| Political scientist David B. Truman’s theory that interest groups form in part to counteract the efforts of other groups. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members. |
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Term
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Definition
| Funds that an appropriations bill designates for a particular purpose within a state or congressional district. |
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Term
| Political Action Committee (PAC) |
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Definition
| Federally mandated, officially registered fund-raising committee that represents interest groups in the political process. |
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Term
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Definition
| Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political persuasion. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group that represents a specific industry. |
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Term
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Definition
| The activities of a group or organization that seeks to influence legislation and persuade political leaders to support the group’s position. |
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Term
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Definition
| A person who finances a group or individual activity. |
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Term
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Definition
| Something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Potential members fail to join a group because they can get the same benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort. |
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Term
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Definition
| Fluctuations between expansion and recession that are a part of modern capitalist economies. |
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Term
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Definition
| A French term literally meaning “to allow to do, to leave alone.” It is a hands-off governmental policy that is based on the belief that government involvement in the economy is wrong. |
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Term
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Definition
| Alternative to the laissez-faire state; the government takes an active role in guiding and managing the private economy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Government regulation of business practices, industry rates, routes, or areas serviced by particular industries. |
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Term
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Definition
| Government regulation of the quality and safety of products as well as the conditions under which goods and services are produced. |
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Term
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Definition
| A reduction in market controls (such as price fixing, subsidies, or controls on who can enter the field) in favor of market-based competition. |
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Term
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Definition
| A situation in which there is economic growth, rising national income, high employment, and steadiness in the general level of prices. |
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Term
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Definition
| A rise in the general price levels of an economy. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short-term decline in the economy that occurs as investment sags, production falls off, and unemployment increases. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of government regulation in which the nation’s money supply and interest rates are controlled. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of exchange for goods and services that includes currency, coins, and bank deposits. |
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Term
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Definition
| In the Federal Reserve System, a seven-member board that sets member banks’ reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Government requirements that a portion of member banks’ deposits must be retained to back loans made. |
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Term
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Definition
| The rate of interest at which member banks can borrow money from their regional Federal Reserve Bank. |
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Term
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Definition
| The buying and selling of government securities by the Federal Reserve Bank in the securities market. |
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Term
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Definition
| Federal government policies on taxes, spending, and debt management, intended to promote the nation’s macroeconomic goals, particularly with respect to unemployment, price stability, and growth. |
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Term
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Definition
| The amount by which federal expenditure exceeds federal revenue. |
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Term
| Gross Domestic Product (GNP) |
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Definition
| The total market value of all goods and services produced in a country during a year. |
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Term
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Definition
| The increase in global temperatures that results from carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal. |
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Term
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Definition
| A national policy of avoiding participation in foreign affairs. |
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Term
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Definition
| A national policy of acting without consulting others. |
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Term
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Definition
| The policy of emphasizing morality in foreign affairs. |
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Term
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Definition
| The policy of taking advantage of a situation for national gain. |
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Term
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Definition
| Chief executive branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Chief executive branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of U.S. military policy. |
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Term
| National Security Agency (NSA) |
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Definition
| Intelligence agency primarily responsible for gathering intelligence from electronic and nonelectronic sources and for breaking foreign information transmission codes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Advisory body to the president that includes the army chief of staff, the air force chief of staff, the chief of naval operations, and the marine commandant. |
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Term
| Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) |
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Definition
| Executive agency responsible for collection and analysis of information and intelligence about foreign countries and events. |
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Term
| National Security Council (NSC) |
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Definition
| Executive agency responsible for advising the president about foreign and defense policy and events. |
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Term
| Department of Homeland Security (DHS) |
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Definition
| Cabinet department created after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate domestic U.S. security efforts against terrorism. |
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Term
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Definition
| National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States; this bipartisan, independent group was authorized by Congress and the President Bush in 2002 to study the circumstances surrounding the September 11 terrorist attacks, including preparedness and the immediate response. Its 2004 report includes recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. |
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Term
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Definition
| Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days for withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period. |
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Term
| Military-Industrial Complex |
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Definition
| The grouping of the U.S. armed forces and defense industries. |
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Term
| Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) |
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Definition
| An organization that is not tied to a government. |
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Term
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Definition
| The personal guarantees and freedoms that the federal government cannot abridge by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation. |
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Term
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Definition
| The government-protected rights of individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that reads “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that reiterates powers not delegated to the national government are reserved to the states or to the people. |
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Term
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Definition
| – Clause contained in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Over the years, it has been construed to guarantee to individuals a variety of rights ranging from economic liberty to criminal procedural rights to protection from arbitrary governmental action. |
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Term
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Definition
| Judicial interpretation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments’ due process clause that protects citizens from arbitrary or unjust laws. |
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Term
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Definition
| An interpretation of the Constitution that holds that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that state and local governments also guarantee those rights. |
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Term
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Definition
| A judicial doctrine whereby most but not all of the protections found in the Bill of Rights are made applicable to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Those rights defined by the Court to be essential to order, liberty, and justice and therefore entitled to the highest standard of review, strict scrutiny. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that imposes a number of restrictions on the federal government with respect to the civil liberties of the people, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first clause in the First Amendment; it prohibits the national government from establishing a national religion. |
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Term
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Definition
| The second clause of the First Amendment; it prohibits the U.S. government from interfering with a citizen’s right to practice his or her religion. Still, some forms of actual exercise of religion can be regulated. |
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Term
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Definition
| Constitutional doctrine that prevents the government from prohibiting speech or publication before the fact; generally held to be in violation of the First Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| A court order in which a judge requires authorities to prove that a prisoner is being held lawfully and that allows the prisoner to be freed if the judge is not persuaded by the government’s case. Habeas corpus rights imply that prisoners have a right to know what charges are being made against them. |
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Term
| Clear and Present Danger Test |
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Definition
| – Test articulated by the Supreme Court in Schenek v. U.S. (1919) to draw the line between protected and unprotected speech; the Court looks to see “whether the words used” could “create a clear and present danger that they will bring about substantive evils” that Congress seeks “to prevent.” |
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Term
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Definition
| A test articulated by the Supreme Court in Bradenburg v. Ohio (1969) that holds that advocacy of illegal action is protected by the First Amendment unless imminent lawless action is intended and likely to occur. |
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Term
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Definition
| Symbols, signs, and other methods of expression generally also considered to be protected by the First Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| False written statements or written statements tending to call someone’s reputation into disrepute. |
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Term
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Definition
| Untrue spoken statements that defame the character of a person. |
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Term
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Definition
| Words that, “by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of peace.” Fighting words are not subject to the restrictions of the First Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Procedural guarantees provided by the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments for those accused of crimes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that reads: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that imposes a number of restrictions on the federal government with respect to the rights of persons suspected of committing a crime. It provides for indictment by a grand jury and protection against self-incrimination, and prevents the national government from denying a person life, liberty, or property without the due process of law. It also prevents the national government from taking property without fair compensation. |
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Term
| Miranda v. Arizona (1966) |
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Definition
| A landmark Supreme Court ruling that held the Fifth Amendment requires that individuals arrested for a crime must be advised of their right to remain silent and to have counsel present. |
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Term
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Definition
| Statements that must be made by the police informing a suspect of his or her constitutional rights protected by the Fifth Amendment, including the right to an attorney provided by the court if the suspect cannot afford one. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Fifth Amendment that protects individuals from being tried twice for the same offense. |
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Term
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Definition
| Judicially created rule that prohibits police from using illegally seized evidence at trial. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that sets out the basic requirements of procedural due process for federal courts to follow in criminal trials. These include speedy and public trials, impartial juries, trials in the state where the crime was committed, notice of the charges, the right to confront and obtain favorable witnesses, and the right to counsel. |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the Bill of Rights that states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” |
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Term
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Definition
| The right to be let alone; a judicially created doctrine encompassing an individual’s decision to use birth control or secure an abortion. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Supreme Court found that a woman’s right to an abortion was protected by the right to privacy that could be implied from specific guarantees found in the Bill of Rights applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to the government-protected rights of individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by governments or individuals based on categories such as race, sex, national origin, age, religion, or sexual orientation. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the three Civil War Amendments; specifically bans slavery in the United States. |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the three Civil War Amendments; guarantees equal protection and due process of the laws to all U.S. citizens. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of the three Civil War Amendments; specifically enfranchised newly freed slaves. |
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Term
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Definition
| Laws enacted by southern states that discriminated against blacks by creating “whites only” schools, theaters, hotels, and other public accommodations. |
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Term
| Civil Rights Cases (1883) |
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Definition
| Name attached to five cases brought under the Civil Rights Act of 1875. In 1883, the Supreme Court decided that discrimination in a variety of public accommodations, including theaters, hotels, and railroads, could not be prohibited by the act because such discrimination was private discrimination and not state discrimination. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tax levied in many southern states and localities that had to be paid before an eligible voter could cast a ballot. |
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Term
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Definition
| Voting qualification provision in many southern states that allowed only those whose grandfathers had voted before Reconstruction to vote unless they passed a wealth or literacy test. |
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Term
| Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) |
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Definition
| Plessy challenged a Louisiana statute requiring that railroads provide separate accommodations for blacks and whites. The Court found that separate but equal accommodations did not violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. |
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Term
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Definition
| The drive for voting rights for women that took place in the United States from 1890 to 1920. |
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Term
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Definition
| Amendment to the Constitution that guaranteed women the right to vote. |
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Term
| Brown v. Board of Education (1954) |
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Definition
| U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that school segregation is inherently unconstitutional because it violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection; marked the end of legal segregation in the United States. |
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Term
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Definition
| Section of the Fourteenth Amendment that guarantees that all citizens receive “equal protection of the laws.” |
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Term
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Definition
| Legislation passed by Congress to outlaw segregation in public facilities and racial discrimination in employment, education, and voting; created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. |
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Term
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Definition
| Racial segregation that is a direct result of law or official policy. |
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Term
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Definition
| Racial discrimination that results from practice (such as housing patterns or other social or institutional, non-governmental factors) rather than the law. |
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Term
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
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Definition
| Federal agency created to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination on the basis of race, creed, national origin, religion, or sex in hiring, promotion, or firing. |
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Term
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Definition
| Proposed amendment that would bar discrimination against women by federal or state governments. |
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Term
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Definition
| Category or class, such as race, that triggers the highest standard of scrutiny from the Supreme Court. |
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Term
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Definition
| A heightened standard of review used by the Supreme Court to determine the constitutional vitality of a challenged practice. |
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Term
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Definition
| Provision of the Educational Amendments of 1972 that bars educational institutions receiving federal funds from discriminating against female students. |
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Term
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Definition
| Policies designed to give special attention or compensatory treatment to members of a previously disadvantaged group. |
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