| Term | Definition |
|---|
| federalisn | A constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central goverment and subdivisional governments, called states in the United States. |
| unitary system | A constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government. |
| confederation | A constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central goverment but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals |
| delegated powers | Powers given explicitly to the national government and listed in the Constitution |
| implied powers | Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. |
| necessary and proper clause | Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 defines the rights of Congress to create laws. |
| express powers | Powers the Constitution specifically grants to one of the branches of the national government. |
| inherent powers | The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Surpreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existance of the national goverment. |
| commerce clause | The clause in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations. |
| federal mandate | A requirement the federal government imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds. |
| reserve powers | all powers not specifically delegated to the national government by the Constitution. the reserve power can be found in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. |
| concurrent powers | powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state goverments, such as the power to levy taxes |
| full faith and credit clause | Article IV, Section 1 - clause requiringeach state to recognize the civil judgements rendered by the courts of the other states and to accept their public records and acts as valid |
| extradition | The legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surendered by officials of onestate in which the crime is alleged to have been committed. |
| interstate compact | An agreement among two or more states. Congress must approve most such agreements. |
| national supremacy | A constutional doctrine that whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actors of hte national goverment and those of a state or local goverment, the actions of the federal goverment prevail. |
| preemption | The right of a federal law or regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation. |
| centralist | People who favor national action over action at state and local levels. |
| decentralist | People who favor state or local action rather than national action. |
| states rights | Powers expressly or implicitly reserved to the states. |
| devolution revolution | The effort to slow the growth of the federal government by returning many functions to the states. |
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