AP United States Government Vocabulary List
Use credible government/political science sources (James Wilson’s American Government
textbook is strongly recommended) to define the terms below. Be sure to handwrite your
definitions in black ink! Due no later than 8:20 AM, Wednesday, September 24!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
affirmative action
amendment
amicus curaie
appellate jurisdiction
aristocracy
Articles of
Confederation
7. Australian ballot
8. autocracy
9. bicameral
10. Bill of Rights
11. blanket primary
12. caucus
13. checks and
balances
14. Christmas tree bill
15. civil court
16. civil liberties
17. civil rights
18. Civil Rights Act of
1964
19. client politics
20. closed primary
21. clothespin vote
22. cloture (rule)
23. concurrent powers
24. conference
committee
25. conservative
26. constitutional
government
27. criminal court
28. delegate
29. delegated powers
30. direct democracy
31. divided government
32. double jeopardy
33. due process
34. elastic clause
35. electoral college
36. Equal Rights
Amendment
37. equal time rule
38. establishment
clause
39. exclusionary rule
40. executive
agreement
41. executive
privilege
42. extradition
43. fairness doctrine
44. federal
government
45. federalism
46. “layer cake”
federalism
47. “marble cake”
federalism
48. filibuster
49. full faith and
credit clause
50. general election
51. Great
Compromise
52. habeas corpus
53. House of
Representatives
54. impeachment
55. indictment
56. interest group
57. interest group
politics
58. iron triangle
59. joint committee
60. judicial activism
61. judicial restraint
62. judicial review
63. liberal
64. libertarian
65. line-item veto
66. majoritarian
politcs
67. malapportionment
68. oligarchy
69. open primary
70. original
jurisdiction
71. political action
committee (PAC)
72. pardon
73. parliament
74. platform
75. pocket veto
76. pork
77. primary election
78. prior restraint
79. progressive
80. quorum
81. recall election
82. red tape
83. representative
democracy
84. reserved powers
85. soft money
86. selective
incorporation
87. separation of
powers
88. social contract
(theory)
89. spoils system
90. standing committee
91. stare decisis
92. straight
ticket/straight party
ballot
93. superdelegate
94. supremacy clause
95. Three-Fifths
Compromise
96. totalitarianism
97. veto
98. white primary
99. writ of certiorari (writ
of cert)
100. writ of
mandamus