| Term | Definition |
|---|
| preamble | states the purpose of the constitution |
| articles | numbered sections of a document |
| constitutionalism | government must be conducted according to constitutional principles |
| rules of law | government and its officers are always subject to the law |
| separation of powers | legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government are distributed into independent branches |
| checks and balances | each branch of government is subject to a number of constitutional restraints by other branches |
| veto | president rejecting an act of congress |
| judicial review | power of courts to determine whether what government does is in accord with what the constitution provides |
| unconstitutional | to declare illegal, null and void |
| federalism | division of power among a central government and several regional governments |
| amendment | changes in constitutions written words |
| formal amendment | changes that become part of the constitution itself |
| Bill of Rights | first ten amendments, guarantees several freedoms |
| executive government | pact made by the president directly with the head of a foreign states |
| treaty | formal agreement between two or more sovereign states |
| electoral college | the group that makes the formal selection of the nation's president |
| cabinet | heads of the 15 executive departments , and advisory body to the president |
| Senatorial courtesy | senate only approves those presidential appointees who are acceptable to the senator or senators of the president's party from the state involved |
Combine with other sets
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