Glossary
An online dictionary of terms you will need to know for the AP US Government and Politics. These court casesvocabulary terms, along with the AP US Government and Politics outlines, political parties, political timelines, biographies, case briefs, and important documents will help you prepare for the AP US Gov and Politics exam.
British law asserting the independence of the court system from the monarchy. Along with the British Bill of Rights (1689) and the Petition of Right (1629), this law helped shape the British constitutional system.
independent federal agency which reports directly to the President of the United States. Established by the African Development Foundation Act, it became operational in 1984, and is headed by a seven-member Board of Directors appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. The African Development Foundation provides assistance and support for indigenous, community-based self-help organizations in their efforts to solve their development problems.
part of the Department of Agriculture. It assists farmers in their efforts to form cooperatives and maintain them, especially those geared to marketing crops and purchasing farm supplies.
created in 1972 by the Secretary of Agriculture as part of the Department of Agriculture. This agency helps farmers market their products. In addition, it provides daily reports on crop conditions, and other agricultural market data, such as demand and prices. The Agricultural Marketing Service enforces laws against fraud and other deceptive marketing practices.
person who is not a citizen of the country in which he or she lives.
an alteration or addition to a document. Although over 6,000 constitutional amendments to the US Constitution have been proposed in Congress, only 27 have been adopted, the most recent having been ratified in 1992. According to the Constitution, there are four ways in which it can be amended. An amendment can be proposed to the states either after a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, or by a vote in two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once it has been proposed to the states, it can be ratified either by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or by conventions in three-fourths of the states. All 27 amendments, except the 21st Amendment, were proposed by a two-thirds majority of Congress and ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
confused state of society in which there is no government and no laws.
most recently established in 1977, part of the Department of Agriculture. This service conducts inspections of animals and plants to prevent pests and disease, or to control and eradicate them once they are discovered. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has the authority to impose quarantines to stop shipments in interstate and foreign commerce. The service also licenses and regulates the manufacture and sale of chemical and non chemical products used to prevent or treat animal and plant pests and diseases.
a division of the Department of Justice. This division handles court cases which involve violations of antitrust laws and other federal laws related to business practices.
formal request that a higher court hear a case that has been decided in a lower court. State Supreme Courts are the highest courts which can hear appeals for cases involving state law, while the US Supreme Court is the highest court which can hear appeals for cases involving federal or constitutional law. An court appeal to a state appellate court are generally made on procedural grounds, i.e., on the basis that some aspect of proper legal procedure was not observed in the original trial. Anyone can petition the US Supreme Court to take a case under advisement. However, the Court is only likely to accept a case if it involves issues related to the constitutionality of the lower court's decision, or state versus federal powers.
chosen by one person or a small group of people. Some positions in government are filled by people who are appointed by other public officials. Supreme Court justices, members of the President's Cabinet, and directors of many federal agencies are appointed by the President. All people appointed by the President have to be approved by the Senate, through the confirmation process.
consists of the US Army, US Navy (which includes the Marines), the US Air Force, and the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is at service in the Department of Transportation, except in times or war or when the President directs, at which time it operates as part of the Navy. The Army, Navy and Air Force are at service under the Department of Defense.
pre-Constitution document, ratified in 1781, creating the first government of the United States. The Confederation, established by the Articles, was a loose union of states with a weak Congress and no executive or judicial branch.
an official of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development administers grant programs to help state and local governments in their efforts to improve urban housing conditions.
also called the Federal Housing Commissioner. An official of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Commissioner administers three types of programs: mortgage insurance programs; loans programs to facilitate the housing projects for the elderly and the handicapped; and the Rent Supplement Program, in which the federal government pays part of the monthly rents of low-income families.
part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing administers public housing programs for low-income families, as well as housing programs for areas on or near Native American reservations. He or she also enforces laws which curb interstate land sale fraud.
right to influence, control or direct the actions of other people. Authority can be given ion law, by custom, by understood rules of morality or by consent of the person under authority.
