American Government Chapter 2 Terms
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Created by:
christena629 on January 21, 2012
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13 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Federalism | Constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments, called states in the United States. The national and the subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals. |
| Separation of Powers | Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law |
| Checks and Balances | Constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate. |
| Autocracy | government by one person having unlimited power |
| Divided Government | Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. |
| Partisanship | strong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading to unwillingness to compromise with members of the opposing party |
| Judicial Review | The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or, in a state court, the state constitution. |
| Writ of Mandamus | Court order directing an official to perform an official duty |
| Impeachment | Formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office. |
| Executive Order | Directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law |
| Executive Privilege | The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security. |
| Impoundment | Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated |
| Natural Law | God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law |
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