Word of the Day

• Limited Government


  The powers and actions of government should not be too broad or absolute
• Constituent


  The people a member of elected office directly represent while serving political state
• Popular Sovereignty


  The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people through their elected representatives
• Separation of Powers


  Constitutional division of duties among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
• Republicanism


  Citizens elect leaders for a limited period of time and the leaders' job is to make and execute laws in the public interest
• Federalism


  Power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments. The national and subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals
• Sovereignty


  the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies
• Super Tuesday


  Election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses
• Gerrymandering


  The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent
• Confederation


  Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals
• Checks and Balances


  Constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to stop some acts of the others and therefore insure that no branch can dominate
• Incumbent


  A person who is already in office and is running for reelection for the same position
• Divided Government


  in a presidential system, when control of the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch is split between two parties
• Executive Privilege


  An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or judiciary
• Political Efficacy


  Belief that an individual can trust and influence the government
• Full Faith and Credit


  A clause in Article IV , Section 1 of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states
• Ex Post Facto Law


  An act of a legislature that retroactively makes criminal conduct that was not criminal when performed or increases the punishment for crimes already committed
• Privileges and Immunities


  A clause in Article 4, Section 2 of the Constitution that protects fundamental rights of Indvidual residents and restrains state efforts to discriminate against out-of-state residents
• Impeachment


  Power delegated to the House of Representatives to charge a judge or an executive branch official with treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors. First step in the removal process
• Bill of Attainder


  An act of a legislature declaring a person or group of people guilty of some crime and punishing them without a trial
• Partisanship


  Strong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading unwillingness to compromise with members of the opposing party
• Appointment


  The placement of a high level government official or judge by the president with the "advice and consent of the senate"
• Commerce Clause


  The clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations
• Preemption


  The right of a federal law or a regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation
• Extradition


  Article IV Legal process which on alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one states to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed
• Reserved Powers


  Powers not expressly given to the federal government or forbidden to the states belong to the states- guaranteed in the 10th amendment
• Devolution


  The transfer of legislative power or authority from the national government to the state governments
• Judicial Review


  The power of a court to refuse to enforce a low or a government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or, in a state court, the state constitution
• Bench Trial


  A trial conducted before a judge without a jury. In such trials, the judge decides both questions of facts and questions of law
• Supremacy Clause


  Whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government, the actions of the federal government will prevail
• Fiscal Federalism


  Concept where funding is appropriated by the federal government to the states with specific conditions attached
• Gaslighting


  The act of practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage
• Congressional Oversight


  Authority to ensure legislation is implemented as intended, including the reviewing/monitoring/supervision of bureaucratic agencies, investigation/committee hearings of bureaucratic activity, and a check if executive authorization
• Bureaucracy


  The whole body of unelected and unappointed government officials in the executive branch who work for presidents and their political appointees
• Logrolling


  The trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of adding of interest to each legislative member
• Reprieve


  The executive branch power to postpone the execution of a sentence imposted by a court of law, is usually alone for humanitarian reasons or to await new evidence
• Franking Privilege


  A benefit allowing members of Congress to mail letters and other materials postage-free to constituents as long as it is for legislative purposes
• Caucus


  Members of Congress from one or both Houses of Congress who band together and have the same interests/characteristics for the purpose of developing and promoting legislation
• Substantive Representation


  When an elected person does not look like the people they represent but they understand the problem
• Descriptive Representation


  When an elected member of the legislature looks like the people that they represent