The executive branch
patronage
Handing out government jobs and contracts as political rewards. The spoils system was its nineteenth-century form, ended for most federal jobs in 1883.
In full
The Pendleton Act replaced patronage hiring with competitive examination after a disappointed office-seeker assassinated President Garfield. Courts have since held that firing most public employees for their party affiliation violates the First Amendment, with an exception for genuinely policymaking positions. Patronage survives lawfully in political appointments at the top of each agency.
Also written as: spoils system
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.