Government Terms Chapter 6
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JessiMarie_Willard on October 24, 2011
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The terms from Chapter 6.
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58 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Executive Branch | Branch of National Government that enforces laws; the President is the chief executive officer and is therefore the lead of the executive branch. |
| Electoral College | The system used to elect the U.S. President; each state has a number of electors equal to the state's representation; at least 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency. |
| Reprieves | The power to grant a person temporary postponement or punishment. |
| Pardons | The President's power to give complete forgiveness of a crime and it's consequent punishment, thereby releasing someone from the remainder of his or her sentence. |
| Judicial Branch | The branch of Nation Government that interprets the nation's law. Judges laws on the grounds of the constition in the Supreme Court is the highest Court; the land and is the final the judge for all questions concerning American laws. |
| Gerrymandering | The redrawing of district boundaries to favor a particular party or group of people. |
| Lame Duck | An elected official who is still in office but has not been reelected. |
| Census | Official government count of United States citizens taken every 10 years and used to determine the number of representative for each states. |
| President Protempore | Honorary position given to the most senior member of the Senate's majority party; he presides over the Senate when the Vice President is absent. |
| Quorum | The minimum number of members needed to transact business in the House or Senate. |
| The Congressional Record | A published written account of the speeches and debates and votes of the United States Congress. |
| Sergeants-At-Arms | An officer appointed to keep order within an organization, such as a legislative, judicial, or social body. |
| Grandfather Clause | A provision in a statute that exempts thos already involved in a regulated activity or business from the new regulations established by the statute. |
| Orginial Jurisdiction | A court's power to hear a case before it is considered by any other court. |
| Appelate Jurisdiction | A court's power to decide appeals. |
| Extradiction | Legal process of returning a fugitive to the state in which he has been charged with a crime. |
| "Supremacy Clause" | Constitutional clause that upholds the United States Constitution as the supreme law of the nation. |
| Slander | False verbally communicated statements which damage one's reputation or character. |
| Prohibition | Forbidding the manufacturing, sale, or transportation of liquor. |
| Franchise | Also called suffage; the right to vote. |
| Federalism | system in which governmental power is divided into tow or more levels, usually a central government and componenet local governments. |
| Popular Sovereignty | Philosophy of government that asserts that the people are the ultimate source of their government's authority. |
| Preamble | Introduces the constitution by explaining it's nature and purpose. |
| Legislative Branch | Primary function is to make laws. |
| Bicameral | A legislative branch divided into two separate houses. |
| Bail | Money deposited to guarantee a court appearence; allows the accused freedom while awaiting trial. |
| Elastic Clause | Constitutional clause giving lawmakers great leeway in making laws "necessary and proper" for the execution of enumberated and implied powers. |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | A court order that forces authorities to quickly charge and try an arrested person or else release him. |
| Bill of Attainder | A bill permitting punishment without trial. |
| Ex Post Facto Law | Laws passes and applied to actions that were not ciminal when they were committed; laws that impose harsher punishments than the law allowed at the time of the criminal act. |
| Appropriations | Grants of money allocated by Congress to finance government programs. |
| Literacy Tests | Required to pass in order to vote. |
| Suffrage | (Franchise) The right to vote. |
| Franking Privilege | Privilege enabling members of Congress to send official mail free of charge. |
| "Pocket Veto" | Automatice veto of a bill if the president leaves it unsigned for ten days during a Congressional adjournment. |
| Naturalization | The process by which a foreign-born person gains citizenship. |
| National Guard | Modern militia under control of the army and air force. |
| Libel | Published flase statements that damage reputation and character. |
| White Primaries | Restricted party primaries and candidates. |
| Ratification | The formal approval process of a constitution,constitutional amendment, or treat. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments of the Consitiution, which protect citizens' democratic rights by placing restrictions on the state and national governments. |
| Limited Government | A principle that linits government to only those powers granted by law. |
| Seperation of Powers | The principle of sperating powers among different branches of government in order to prevent any group or individual from gaining too much control. |
| Checks and Balances | The principle of keeping each branch of government in check throught the power of another branch of government with the goal of hindering the concentration of power and thus protecting personal liberty. |
| Due Process | Certain legal procedures by which the government must abide in order to protect the rights of the accused. |
| Poll Taxes | An act of several Southern states to keep poor blacks from voting. |
| Veto | The president's ppwer to refuse to sign a bill into law. |
| Impeachment | The House's power to file criminal charges against the President or any other government officials; the Senate acts as a trail court for impeachment cases. |
| Gridlock | Occurs when one branch of the government purposely brings the political process to a halt. |
| Judicial Review | The power of the judicial branch of the government to examine any government action and to nullify it if it is not in agreement with the court's constitutional interpretation. |
| Marbury vs. Madison | A court case that first asserted the principle of judicial review in 1803; the Supreme Court Chief Justice to assert the principle was John Marshall. |
| Subpoena | A document requiring a person to appear as a witness before a court or congressional hearing |
| Strict Constructionists | Those who believe that the text of the Constitution is important, and that any interpretation should be kept to a minimum. (Those who kept to the original intent of the Founding Fathers.) |
| Broad Constructionists | Those who take a broader and sometimes more creative approach to a constitutional interpretation. |
| "Necessary and Proper Clause" | Added by the Constitutional Framers so that future Congress might have the authority to meet future needs |
| Amendment Process | A more formal means of adopting the Constitution to change. |
| Proposal | The formal introduction of an amendment. |
| Grand Jury | Made up of a panel of citizens. |
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