1.
Autocracy: government by one person having unlimited power
2.
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.
3.
Divided Government: Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.
4.
Executive Order: Directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law
5.
Executive Privilege: The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.
6.
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.
7.
Impeachment: Formal accusation by the lower house of a legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office.
8.
Impoundment: Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated
9.
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.
10.
Natural Law: God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law
11.
Partisanship: strong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading to unwillingness to compromise with members of the opposing party
12.
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
13.
Writ of Mandamus: Court order directing an official to perform an official duty
