Government workers employed under the merit system; not political appointees
Civil Service
Federal government jobs held by civilian employees, excluding political appointees
Cost-Benefit Analysis
A method of evaluating rules and regulations by weighing their potential costs against their potential benefits to society
Spoils System/Patronage
The practice of distributing government offices and contracts to the supporters of the winning party
Appropriation
Legal authority for a federal agency to spend money from the U.S. Treasury
Privatization
The process of turning over certain government functions to the private sector
Whistle-Blowers
People who bring official misconduct in their agencies to public attention
Judicial Review
The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional
Executive Privilege
A presidential claim that certain communications with subordinates may be withheld from Congress and the courts
Separate but Equal Doctrine
The principle articulated in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that laws prescribing separate public facilities and servicesfor nonwhite Americans are permissible if the facilities and services are equal to those provided for whites
Superprecedent
Landmark rulings, that have been reaffirmed by the Court over the course of many years and whose reasoning has become part of the fabric of American law.
Plaintiff
One who brings suit in a court
In Forma Pauperis
Describing a process by which indigents may file a suit with the Supreme Court free of charge
Writ of Certiorari
An announcement that the Supreme Court will hear a case on appeal from a lower court; its issuance requires the vote of four of the nine justices
Laissez-Faire
The political-economic doctrine that holds that government ought not interfere with the operations of the free market
Judicial Activism
Actions by the courts that go beyond the strict role of the judiciary as interpreter of the law and adjudicator of disputes
Remedy
An action that a court determines must be taken to rectify a wrong
Original Intent
The doctrine that courts must interpret the Constitution in ways consistent with the intentions of the framers rather than in light of contemporary conditions and needs
Strict Construction
The doctrine that the provisions of the Constitution have a clear meaning and that judges must stick closely to this meaning when rendering decisions
Test Case
A case brought to force ruling on the constitutionality of some law or executive
Class Action Suit
A suit brought on behalf of a group of people who are in a situation similar to that of the plaintiffs
Author
ladonna1990
ID
80545
Card Set
Poli cht 13 &14 final
Description
poli 2051 chapter 13 The Bureaucracy and chpt 14 The Judiciary final