Legislative and Judicial Branch
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67 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Advise and Consent | power of the senate regarding presidential appointments |
| Amicus curiae brief | a brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not a party to it |
| Appellate jurisdiction | The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts |
| Authorization | official permission or approval |
| Bicameral | composed of two legislative bodies |
| Bipartisanship | A policy that emphasizes a united front and cooperation between the major political parties, especially on sensitive foreign policy issues. |
| Caucus | meet to select a candidate or promote a policy |
| Civil Law | the body of laws established by a state or nation for its own regulation |
| Class Action Suit | a case brought by someone to help him or her and all others who are similarly situated |
| Closed rule | An order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor |
| Cloture Rule | a rule used by the senate to end or limit debate |
| Concurrent Resolution | an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president |
| Concurring Opinion | an opinion that agrees with the court's disposition of the case but is written to express a particular judge's reasoning |
| Conference Committee | committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form. |
| Congressional Oversight | The United States Congress has the authority to conduct hearings, investigations, and budget reviews of the actions by the executive branch. |
| Constituent | supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component |
| Constitutional Law | law that involves the interpretation and application of the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions |
| Criminal Law | the body of law dealing with crimes and their punishment |
| Dissenting Opinion | a statement written by a Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority's decision |
| Divided Party Government | one part controls the presidency while the other party controls one or both houses of congress |
| Filibuster | a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes |
| Frank | A letter sent by Congressional candidates explaining their views to constituents |
| Gerrymandering | the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent |
| Gridlock | the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government |
| House Rules Committee | An institution unique to the House of Representatives that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a House committee before they go to the full House. |
| Impeachment | The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Constitution. The House of Representatives may impeach the president by a majority vote for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." |
| Joint Committee | A committee of the House and the Senate that usually acts as a study group and reports its findings back to the House and the Senate |
| Judicial Branch | the branch of the United States government responsible for the administration of justice |
| Judicial Activism | an interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court) |
| Judicial Restraint | view that the courts should reject any active lawmaking functions and stick to judicial interpretations of the past |
| Judicial Review | review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the decision of a trial court |
| Judicial Scrutiny | The standard used by the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of a law. For example, strict scrutiny searches for a "compelling governmental interest." |
| Legislative Branch | the branch of the United States government that has the power of legislating |
| Legislative Veto | The authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power |
| Litigation | a legal proceeding in a court |
| Logrolling | act of exchanging favors for mutual gain |
| Majority Leader | the Speaker's top assistant whose job is to help plan the majority party's legislative program and to steer important bills through the House |
| Majority-minority district | district in which a minority group is the numerical majority of the population |
| Marginal district | Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, usually less than 55% of the vote |
| Mark up | committee action to amend a proposed bill |
| Minority Leader | the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate |
| Open Rule | an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor |
| Original Jurisdiction | The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case. |
| Oversight | the effort by congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies |
| Per curiam opinion | a brief, unsigned court opinion |
| Power of the purse | Constitutional power given to Congress to raise and spend money |
| Precedent | (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions |
| President Pro Tempore | Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president |
| Quorum | The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action |
| Remedy | a judicial order enforcing a right or redressing a wrong |
| Rider | a clause that is appended to a legislative bill |
| Rule of Four | Requirement that a case can only be heard by the Supreme Court if four justices vote to hear the case |
| Senatorial Courtesy | Presidential custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to Senators from the states in which the appointees are to work. |
| Speaker of the the House | the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
| Standing | a legal rule stating who is authorized to start a lawsuit |
| Standing committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area |
| stare decisis | Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases |
| Subcommittee | a group within a standing committee that specializes in a subcategory of its standing committee's responsibility |
| House Term | 2 years |
| Senate Term | 6 years |
| Presidential Term | 4 years |
| Judicial Term | Life, or until they resign. |
| Unanimous Opinion | a court opinion or determination on which all judges agree |
| Whip | a legislator appointed by the party to enforce discipline |
| writ of certiorari | Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review |
| writ of habeas corpus | a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person |
| writ of mandamus | Court order directing an official to perform an official duty |
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