| Miranda v. Arizona (1966) | case in which the Court ruled that, upon arrest, a suspect must be advised of the right to remain silent and the right to consult with a lawyer |
| national convention | occasion at which a political party officially announces its presidential nominee and reveals its party platform for the next four years (today nominees have been pre-determined by primary election results) |
| National Organization of Women (NOW) | feminist political group formed in 1967 to promote legislative change. NOW lobbied for the failed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution |
| National Security Council | presidential advisory board established in 1947. The NSC consults with the president on matters of defense and foreign policy |
| nomination | endorsement to run for office by a political party |
| objective good faith | exception to the exclusionary rule that allows the use of illegally obtained evidence at trial if the court determines that police believe they were acting within the limits of their search warrant when they seized the evidenec |
| Office of Budget and Management | executive branch office responsible for drawing up the president's proposals for the federal budget |
| open primary | primary election in which voters may vote in whichever party primary they choose, though they must select that part before entering the voting booth |
| original jurisdiction | term used to describe a court's power to initially try a case. Courts in which cases are first heard are those with originial jurisdiction in the case, appellate courts hear challenges to earlier court decisions |
| override | the Constitutional power of Congress to supersede a president's veto by a two-thirds majority in both houses |
| pardon | cancellation of criminal punishment, this power is held by presidents and governors |
| platform | statement of purpose and policy objectives drafted and approved by political parties at their national conventions, they rarely exert much influence on day-to-day politics |
| Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) | ruling that "separate but equal" facilities for different races are not unconstitutional |
| political action committee (PAC) | the fundraising apparatus of interest groups, donations and contributions from PACs are regulated by federal law |
| political party | group of people with common political goals which hopes to influence policy through the election process |
| policy implementation | the process by which executive departments and agencies put legislation into practive, they are often allowed a degree of freedom to interpret legislation as they write guidelines to enact and enforce the law |
| Populist | political party of the late 1800s that primarily represented farmers and working-class Americans, sough inflationary economic policies to increase farm income |
| president pro tempore | individual chosen to preside over the Senate whenever the vice president is unavailable to do so, chosen by the Senate from among its members |
| primary election | form of election held by the majority of the states, during which voters select the nominees for political parties |
| prior restraint | censorship of news material before it is made public |
| privileges and immunities clause | section of the Constitution stating that a state may not refuse police protection or access to its courts to U.S. citizens because they live in a different state |
| progressive income tax | increases tax rates for people with higher income to allow those with greater need to keep more of what they earn while taking more form those who can best afford it |
| pork barrel | budget items proposed by legislators to benefit constituents in their home state or district |
| quorum | the minimum number of people required for the legislature to act |
| realignment | occurs when a party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda, the groups of people composing the party coalition may split up, resulting in a vastly different party. Realignments are rare and tend to be signaled by a critical election, last one occurred during the New Deal between the working-class and ethnic groups under the Democratic party |
| reapportionment | process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the House, occurs every 10 years, when census data reports shifts in the population of districts |
| recall election | process through which voters can shorten an office holder's term, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters' power over government |
| referendum | process through which voters may vote on new laws, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters' power over government |
| regulatory agency | executive agency responsible for enforcing laws pertaining to a certain industry, the agency writes guidelines for the industry, such as safety codes, and enforces them through methods such as inspection |
| representative democracy | form of government under which citizens vote for delegates who in turn represent citizens' interests within the government |
