The authority (of a legislature) to make the laws necessary to carry out the government's powers.
The trading of votes between legislators so that each gets what he or she most wants.
A supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully and spends appropriations properly.
Pork barrel spending
Spending whose tangible benefits are targeted at a particular legislator's constituency.
The president's rejection of a bill, thereby keeping it from becoming law unless Congress overrides the veto.
The responsibility of a legislature to represent various interests in society.
Permanent congressional committees with responsibility for a particular area of public policy. An example is the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislators prevents a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration.
A proposed law (legislative act) within Congress or another legislature.
The process by which the party in power draws election district boundaries in a way that is to the advantage of its candidates.
A theory that prevailed in the nineteenth century and held that the presidency was a limited or restrained office whose occupant was confined to expressly granted constitutional authority.
The rule that grants all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the state.
The president's first months in office, a time when Congress, the press, and the public are more inclined than usual to support presidential initiatives.
A theory that argues for a strong, assertive presidential role, with presidential authority limited only at points specifically prohibited by law.
Presidential approval rating
A measure of the degree to which the public approves or disapproves of the president's performance in office.
A strong showing by a candidate in early presidential nominating contests, which leads to a buildup of public support for the candidate.
A group consisting of the heads of the executive (cabinet) departments, who are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The cabinet was once the main advisory body to the president, but it no longer plays this role.
Open party caucuses
Meetings at which a party's candidates for nomination are voted on and that are open to all the party's rank-and-file voters who want to attend.
Special interest groups that benefit directly from the activities of a particular bureaucratic agency and therefore are strong advocates of the agency.
A basic principle of bureaucracy that refers to the standardized procedures and established regulations by which a bureaucracy conducts its operations.
A basic principle of bureaucracy that refers to the chain of command within an organization whereby officials and units have control over those below them.
A basic principle of bureaucracy holding that the responsibilities of each job position should be explicitly defined, and that a precise division of labor within the organization should be maintained.
An approach to managing the bureaucracy whereby people are appointed to important government positions as a reward for political services they have rendered and because of their partisan loyalty.
An internal check on the bureaucracy whereby employees report instances of mismanagement that they observe.
A system of organization and control based on the principles of hierarchical authority, job specialization, and formalized rules.
The primary function of the bureaucracy; it refers to the process of carrying out the authoritative decisions of Congress, the president, and the courts.
An approach to managing the bureaucracy whereby people are appointed to government positions on the basis of either competitive examinations or special qualifications, such as professional training.
Bureaucratic agencies that are similar to cabinet departments but usually have a narrower area of responsibility. Each such agency is headed by a presidential appointee who is not a cabinet member. An example is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
A judicial decision that serves as a rule for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature.
Writ of certiorari
Permission granted by a higher court to allow a losing party in a legal case to bring the case before it for a ruling; when such a writ is requested of the U.S. Supreme Court, four of the Court's nine justices must agree to accept the case before it is granted certiorari.
The power of courts to decide whether a governmental institution has acted within its constitutional powers and, if not, to declare its action null and void.
A vote of the Supreme Court in a particular case that indicates which party the justices side with and by how large a margin.
A separate opinion written by one or more Supreme Court justices who vote with the majority in the decision on a case but who disagree with its reasoning.
A given court's authority to hear cases of a particular kind. Jurisdiction may be original or appellate.
The opinion of a justice in a Supreme Court case that explains his or her reasons for disagreeing with the majority's decision.
The tradition that a U.S. senator from the state in which a federal judicial vacancy has arisen should have a say in the president's nomination of the new judge if the senator is of the same party as the president.
The doctrine that the judiciary should closely follow the wording of the law, be highly respectful of precedent, and defer to the judgment of legislatures. The doctrine claims that the job of judges is to work within the confines of laws set down by tradition and lawmaking majorities.
The doctrine that the courts should develop new legal principles when judges see a compelling need, even if this action places them in conflict with precedent or the policy decisions of elected officials.