| A | B |
|---|
| Baker v Carr | Established that federal courts can hear cases and decide issues concerning malapportionment (unequal population distribution in districts). |
| Census | Population count |
| Checks and Balances | The ability of one branch to limit or check the actions of the others to ensure that no one branch becomes too powerful. (Ex: the president may veto legislation passed by Congress; the Senate must confirm major executive appointments; and the courts may declare acts of Congress unconstitutional) |
| Committee System | The means Congress uses to organize themselves into smaller groups in order to accomplish their work efficiently. |
| Confirmation Process/confirm | Approval process of appointed officials, conducted by the Senate |
| Demographics | Characteristics shared by a group of people, such as age, occupation, gender, education, etc. (Often demographics are used to make public policy decisions.) |
| Elastic Clause | The clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the right to make all laws, "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers expressed in the other clauses in Article I. A.K.A. Necessary and Proper Clause. |
| Equity | Most commonly thought of as "justice", however equity developed as a separate body of law in England in reaction to the inability of the common law courts to provide a remedy for every injury. |
| Ex Post Facto | A law applied to an act committed before the law's passage. Such a law violates the Constitution of the United States that states that neither Congress nor any state shall pass an ex post facto law. |
| Filibuster | use of long speeches to prevent a vote on a bill in the Senate. |
| Gerrymandering | drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group. |
| Impeachment | - Charging a public official with a crime in office for which they can be removed from power. |
| Judicial Review | The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the legislative and executive branches of government. The precedent for Judicial Review was established in the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison |
| Legislative/Legislature/Legislate | An officially elected or otherwise selected body of people vested with the responsibility and power to make laws for a state or nation. |
| President Pro Tempore | A senator, usually a senior member of the majority party, who is chosen to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president |
| Reapportionment | Redistribution of political representation of the basis of population changes, usually after a census. |
| Redistricting | To set up new district lines after reapportionment is complete. |
| Speaker of the House | The title given to the presiding officer of the U.S. national government's lower house, the House of Representatives. |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | A court order that prevents unjust arrests and imprisonment. |
| Congress | describing the US legislative branch |
| House of Representatives | one of house of the US Congress based on state population |
| Interest Group/Special Interest Group | An organized body of individuals who share some goals and try to influence public policy to meet those goals. |
| Lobby/lobbying/lobbist | Direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support policies their interest groups favor. |
