Federal Courts
A model of judicial decision making that holds that judges must account for the actions of other relevant actors in their voting choices.
Strategic model
The 18th- and 19th-century political movement to abolish slavery.
Abolitionism
A clause of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from "respecting an establishment of religion."
The Establishment Clause
A meeting of party officials or supporters.
Caucus
A non-profit organization exempt from taxes and this organization cannot engage in partisan campaign activities and can only do "insubstantial" amounts of lobbying. Donations to 501c3 organizations are deductible for the donor.
501c3 Organization
A legal norm suggesting that the text of a law should be interpreted based primarily on what the law says; any interpretation must adhere closely to the text.
Plain Meaning
Laws common in most states that prohibit discrimination by private actors based on a list of protected attributes such as race or sexual orientation
Anti-Discrimination Laws
Limitations on the government's ability to use its power against an individual.
Civil liberties
A principle that says election systems of single member districts with plurality winners tend to produce two major political parties.
Duverger's Law
Money donated to support independent campaign expenditures that cannot be traced to the original source.
Dark Money
A legal norm that judges should decide current cases in a way consistent with their decisions in similar past cases.
Precedent
The highest level of judicial scrutiny of a discriminatory government policy, which the government almost always fails under.
Strict Scrutiny
The largely prohibited act of the government preventing an expression or publication before it has been made.
Prior Restraint
Former Confederate states during the Civil War and some border states that were dominated by conservative Democrats from roughly the 1880s to the 1980s.
Solid South
Activities that attempt to increase participation by voters in political activities, especially elections.
Voter Mobilization
This type of opinion is an agreement on the outcome but not on the reasons for reaching the conclusion.
Concurring Opinion
This type of law contains voluminous codes of laws and regulations for every possible situation
Civil Law or Roman Law
This is synonymous with civil liberties
individual liberties.
Patrick Jones is a white evangelical from Lewiston, Montana. He began working at the local meat processing plant after high school. Given what we know about demographics, Patrick is most likely to identify with which political party?
Republican
This type of spending is for the purpose of influencing an election that is not coordinated with any candidate or political party
Independent Expenditure
This amendment, according to the Citizens United V. FEC court case, protects campaign spending in funding advertisements.
Freedom of Speech
This was significant feature of human history across time and regions, but it changed significantly during the period of colonialism
Slavery
Which amendment includes liberty against self-incrimination
Fifth Amendment "I Plead the Fifth!"
This group currently constitutes the largest share of the American electorate
Independents
A school of thought that asserts policy is influenced by numerous organized interests, and that the outcomes are roughly reflective of the diversity and strength of interests in society
Classical pluralism