372 GLoSSARy
Casework Personal work for constituents by
members of Congress.
Categorical Grant A federal grant to a state or local
government for a specific program or project.
Caucus System A meeting of party members to
select candidates and propose policies.
Checks and Balances A major principle of the
American system of government whereby each
branch of the government can check the actions of
the others.
Chief Diplomat The role of the president in
recognizing foreign governments, making treaties,
and effecting executive agreements.
Chief Executive The role of the president as head of
the executive branch of the government.
Chief Legislator The role of the president in
influencing the making of laws.
Chief of Staff The person who is named to direct the
White House Office and advise the president.
Civil Disobedience A nonviolent, public refusal to
obey allegedly unjust laws.
Civil Liberties Those personal freedoms, including
freedom of religion and of speech, that are protected
for all individuals in a society.
Civil Rights Generally, all rights rooted in the
Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal
protection under the law.
Civil Service A collective term for the body of
employees working for the government. Generally,
civil service is understood to apply to all those who
gain government employment through a merit
system.
Civil Service Commission The initial central
personnel agency of the national government;
created in 1883.
Class-Action Suit A lawsuit filed by an individual
seeking damages for “all persons similarly situated.”
Closed Primary A type of primary in which the
voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party
of which he or she is a member.
Coattail Effect The influence of a popular candidate
on the electoral success of other candidates on the
same party ticket. The effect is increased by the
party-column ballot, which encourages straight-
ticket voting.
Cold War The ideological, political, and economic
confrontation between the United States and the
Soviet Union following World War II.
Commander in Chief The role of the president as
supreme commander of the military forces of the
United States and of the state National Guard units
when they are called into federal service.Commerce Clause The section of the Constitution
in which Congress is given the power to regulate
trade among the states and with foreign countries.
Commercial Speech Advertising statements, which
increasingly have been given First Amendment
protection.
Common Law Judge-made law that originated
in England from decisions shaped according to
prevailing custom. Decisions were applied to similar
situations and gradually became common to the
nation.
Concurrent Powers Powers held jointly by the
national and state governments.
Concurring opinion A separate opinion prepared
by a judge who supports the decision of the majority
of the court but for different reasons.
Confederal System A system consisting of a
league of independent states, in which the central
government created by the league has only limited
powers over the states.
Confederation A political system in which states
or regional governments retain ultimate authority
except for those powers they expressly delegate to a
central government.
Conference Committee A special joint committee
appointed to reconcile differences when bills pass
the two chambers of Congress in different forms.
Consensus General agreement among the citizenry
on an issue.
Conservatism A set of beliefs that includes advocacy
of a limited role for the national government in
helping individuals, support for traditional values
and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.
Conservative Movement An American
movement launched in the 1950s that provides
a comprehensive ideological framework for
conservative politics.
Constituent One of the persons represented by a
legislator or other elected or appointed official.
Constitutional Power A power vested in the
president by Article II of the Constitution.
Containment A U.S. diplomatic policy adopted by
the Truman administration to contain Communist
power within its existing boundaries.
Continuing Resolution A temporary funding law
that Congress passes when an appropriations bill
has not been passed by the beginning of the new
fiscal year on October 1.
Cooperative Federalism A model of federalism
in which the states and the national government
cooperate in solving problems.
Credentials Committee A committee used by
political parties at their national conventions to9781285436388_em_glos_371-382.indd 372 10/22/13 7:04 AM
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