Review

1. Realigning Elections: an election that dramatically changes the political system
2. Filibuster: an obstructive manner in a legislature by speaking at inordinate length
3. Habeas Corpus: a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court
4. Plurality: The excess of votes cast for one candidate over those votes cast for any other candidate
5. Rule of Four: The rule of four is a Supreme Court of the United States practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari
6. Social Capital: refers to connections within and between social networks
7. Pocket Veto: An indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until after the legislative session is over
8. Senatorial Courtesy: A custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state
9. Concurrent Powers: held by both the states and the federal government and may be exercised simultaneously within the same territory and in relation to the same body of citizens
10. Logrolling:  the exchange of support or favors, especially by legislators for mutual political gain as by voting for each other's bills
11. Rider: A schedule or writing annexed to a document such as a legislative bill or insurance policy
12. Standing Committee: A permanent committee that meets regularly
13. Expressed Powers: a list of nonspecific responsibilities found in Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution, which iterates the authority granted to the United States Congress
14. Trustee: A member of the board of the foundation who takes part in the decision making process
15. Judicial Review: Review by the Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act
16. Delegate: A person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular, an elected representative sent to a conferenc
17. Necessary & Proper Clause: establishes the "implied powers," by which Congress has authority to pass legislation in areas not specifically listed in the Constitution
18. Political Agenda:  a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate
19. Commerce Clause: states that the United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes"
20. Deficit: An excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets in a given period
21. Issue Network: an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy
22. National Debt: The total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed, by various means
23. Iron Triangle: a term used by political scientists to describe the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups
24. Divided Government: a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress
25. Due Process: Fair treatment through the normal judicial system, esp. as a citizen's entitlement
26. Executive Privelege: The privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest
27. Eminent Domain:  The right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation
28. Take-care Clause: imposes a duty on the President to take due care while executing laws
29. Central Clearance: the sole agency charged with granting, denying, and revoking security clearance eligibility for the Army
30. Stare decisis: The legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent.
31. PACs: political action committee
32. Block Grant: A grant from a central government that a local authority can allocate to a range of services
33. Coattail Effect:  the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election
34. Selective Perception:
35. Cloture: A procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote
36. Incorporation: the act of forming and legally establishing a new corporation
37. Political Efficacy: one's own influence or effectiveness on politics
38. Devolution: The transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, esp. by central government to local or regional administration
39. Nullification: doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress
40. Political Ideologies: An organized system of political beliefs, values, and ideas
41. Gender Gap: The discrepancy in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc. between men and women
42. Silent Majority: an unspecified large majority of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly
43. Superdelegates: an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party
44. Bully Pulpit: A public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue
45. Trial Balloon: A tentative measure taken or statement made to see how a new policy will be received
46. Red tape: Excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities, esp. in public business
47. Laissez-faire: Abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market
48. Judicial Restraint: a theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power
49. 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
50. Sovereign Immunity: an exemption that precludes bringing a suit against the sovereign government without the government's consent; "the doctrine of sovereign immunity originated with the maxim that the king can do no wrong"

Review

1. Amicus curiae: a brief submitted by a "friend of the court"
2. Brief: a written summary by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it
3. Class-action Suit: a case brought by someone to help him or her and all other who are simarly situate.
4. Sovereign Immunity: The rule that a citizen cannot sue the government without the government consent.
5.  Concurring Opinion: a signed opinion in which one or more members agree with the majority view but for different reasons
6. Courts of Appeals: federal courts that hear appeals from district courts; no trials
7. Dissenting Opinion: a signed opinion in which one or more justices disagree with the majority view.
8. Constitutional Courts: A federal court authorized by Article III of the constitution that keeps judges in office during good behaviour and prevenst their salaries from being reduced. Supreme courts, appellate and district courts are all examples.
9.  District Courts: The lowest federal courts; federal trials can be held only here.
10. Judicial Review: the power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional.
11.  Litmus Test: An examination of the political idealogy of a nominated judge.
12. Writ of certiorari: an order by a higher court drecting a lower court to send up a case for review.
13. Marbury v. Madison: upheld judicial review of congressional acts.
14. Writ of mandamus: an extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act taht the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion
15. Senatorial courtesy: The president nominates a "qualified" person to be a judge, and the senate approves or rejects the nomination based on those qualifications.
16. Adversarial System: the tendency of the national media tobe suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them.
17. Political Question: an issue the Supreme Court will allow the executive and legislative branches decided.
18. Judicial Activism: The steps that a federal courts takes toward correcting injustices.
19. Judicial Restraint: the view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the Constitution.
20. Plaintiff: the party that initiates a lawsuit.
21. Stare desisis: "let the decision stand", or allowing prior rulings to control the current case.
22. Remedy: a judicial order enforcing a right or redressing a wrong.

Gas Prices

 Over the weekend the gas prices jumped up 3 cents, which took the gas price to $4 a gallon this week across America. As of Monday, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline now stands at $3.952, according a daily survey from motorist group AAA. That's up from $3.943 a gallon on Sunday and continues a 44-day streak of gas price increases. Gas currently is more than $4 a gallon in 13 states and in the District of Columbia. this weekend's surge was a delayed reaction to deadly storms across the South last week that temporarily knocked out power at some oil refineries along the Gulf Coast. Also refiners around the Great Lakes have been shut down recently for scheduled maintenance, which has put upward pressure on gas prices across the Midwest. Gas prices have not averaged $4 a gallon nationwide since July 2008.  The AAA also that gas prices go up into going into Memorial Day hoilday which starts the begining of the summer driving, but they believe that gas prices shouldn't hit $5.


I believe that this has to do with the constitutional law, the common law, the state and federal governement. Also the National Economic Council which advises with economic planning. The State and the Federal government has to split how much each gas it will be depending on how much gas and oil supply we get from our refineries. My opinion about this is that I am glad, that the gas prices won't be going up but at the same time, the gas prices need to drop. I believe everything that is happening to our refineries need to get fix very soon so the gas prices can drop. What is your opinion about this situation?



http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/02/news/economy/gas_prices/index.htm?hpt=T2