| A | B |
|---|
| cabinet | heads of the executive departments |
| John F. Kennedy | only Catholic president |
| 35 | minimum age requirement to be president |
| 4 years | term of office of president |
| 22nd Amendment | limited the president to two terms of office |
| Electoral College | officially cast the ballots that elect the President |
| Franklin Roosevelt | elected President for four terms |
| Article II | established the executive branch of government |
| President of the Senate | Vice President of the U.S. |
| $202,900 a year | salary of the Vice-President |
| 12th Amendment | changed election process so that the president and vice president are voted on separately |
| Speaker of the House | in line behind the Vice President for succession to the presidency |
| 25th Amendment | makes the Vice President legally the President if the President dies or leaves office |
| Chief Executive | role in which the President carries out the nation's laws |
| Party Leader | role in which the President supports party members in election campaigns |
| Commander in Chief | role in which the President leader of the military |
| Chief Diplomat | role in which the President makes treaties with foreign nations |
| Chief of State | role in which the President represents the whole nation |
| Legislative Leader | role in which the President proposes or vetoes legislation |
| Judicial Leader | role in which the President appoints judges to the Supreme Court |
| executive order | rule or command the President issues that has the force of law |
| bureaucracy | large network of individuals and agencies that are part of the federal government |
| ambassador | official representative of a country's government |
| treaty | formal agreement between two or more countries |
| executive agreement | agreement between the President and the leader of another country |
| veto | Presidential rejection of a bill |
| pardon | a declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment |
| National Security Council | members include the Vice-President, the secretary of state, and the secretary of defense |
| Executive Office of the President | provide advice and help the President do his job |
| chief of staff | most powerful official in the White House Office |
| Article III | establishes the judicial branch of government |
| appeals courts | courts that review cases from a lower court |
| criminal cases | juries decide whether people have committed crimes |
| civil cases | one party sues another for damages |
| jurisdiction | authority to hear and decide a case |
| district courts | where most federal lawsuits begin |
| term of a judge | life, "during good behavior" |
| Highest law of the land | Constitution |
| John Marshall | Supreme Court Chief Justice known as "father of the Supreme Court" |
| President | appoints judges to federal courts |
| Senate | must approve appointments to the federal courts |
| 9 | number of judges on the Supreme Court |
| Thurgood Marshall | first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court |
| Sandra Day O'Connor | first woman to serve on the Supreme Court |
| 5 | number of votes needed to determine the outcome of a case before the Supreme Court |
| majority opinion | written to explain why the Supreme Court decided as it did in a case |
| dissenting opinion | written by a Justice who did not agree with the verdict of the Supreme Court |
| Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) | established the "separate, but equal" doctrine |
| Brown v. Board of Education (1954) | outlawed "separate, but equal" |
| Roe v. Wade (1973) | legalized a woman's right to an abortion under certain circumstances |
| Miranda v. Arizonia (1966) | ruled that police officers must inform suspects of their rights at the time of arrest |
| Sentence | Punishment set by a court of law for a crime |
| Guilty | judged to have done something wrong or against the law |
| Innocent | judged NOT to have done something against the law |
| Jury | the people chosen to decide in civil or criminal cases |
| Appeal | To ask a higher court to review a lower court's decision |
| Uphold | maintain or support lower court's decision |
| Segregate | to separate people or groups from each other |
| Impeachment | formal charge of an official with a crime or corruption |
| Brief | document written to submit a legal argument to a court, usually sets outs the facts of the case and a party's argument |
| Mandatory Sentences | Specific punishments required by law for certain crimes. |
| Prosecuting Attorney | Government's legal representative who brings charges in a case. |
| Rule of Four | Supreme Court practice for selecting cases; states that a case will be selected when any four justices agree to hear it. |
| trial courts | courts that hear civil cases and criminal cases. |
| Special Courts | Federal courts, such as the U.S. Tax Court, established by Congress to deal with special issues. |
| Impeachment | formal charge of an official with a crime or corruption. |
| Judicial Review | Constitutional provision for courts to decide if acts of the government are constitutional. |
| Judicial Restraint | manner in which a judge applies the law, based on the belief that the court should not create new policy. |
| arraignment | pre-trial court appearance; an accused person answers formal charges against him or her; enters plea of guilty or not. |
| compensation | payment to make up for loss, injury, etc. |
| contract | agreement between 2 or more parties; written or verbal; legal |
| defendant | person being sued or accused of a crime |
| delinquent | having failed to do what the law requires, according to judicial ruling |
| equity | justice under the law; fairness |
| evidence | something that provides or tends to provide proof |
| grand jury | group of citizens who decide if there's enough evidence for a trial. |
| indictment | formal accusation that leads to a trial. |
| juvenile | person who is under an age set by law (usually 18) to be tried as adult |
| parole | release from jail before full term is done; must report regularly to officer of the court. |
| plaintiff | person who files a legal action or claim. |
| plea bargain | pleading guilty to lesser charge to have other charges dropped |
| probation | suspending sentence; placed under supervision of an officer of the law. |
| warrant | written authority to make an arrest jor conduct a search |
| press | 1st Amend't guarantees freedom of religion, speech, ____, assembly, and to petition the gov't |
| speech | 1st Amend't guarantees freedom of religion, _______, press, assembly, and to petition the gov't |
| religion | 1st Amend't guarantees freedom of ________, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the gov't |
| assembly | 1st Amend't guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, _________, and to petition the gov't |
| arms | 2nd Amendm't guarantees right to bear ______. |
| states | 10th Amendm't says laws not specifically given to federal gov't goes to the ____, or people. |
| double jeapardy | conditions of being tried for a second time for the same crime. |
| eminent domain | Right of the government to take private property for public use. |
| grand jury | group of citizens who decide if there's enough evidence for a trial. |
| incriminate | Make a person appear guilty of a crime. |
| Indictment | Formal laying of charges leading to a trial. |
| Militia | Army of citizens who are not professional soldiers. |
| Petition | Make formal request of an authority. |
| Probable Cause | Reasonable grounds to believe a crime MAY have been committed. |
| Slander | Telling lies that damage someone's reputation |
| warrant | Legal document issued by a judge authorizing actions such as search, seizure, or arrest |
| impartial jury | group of citizens sworn to fairly judge a case; no bias |
| publish | make information known to the public by word of mouth or in print |
| treason | crime of endangering the country by giving information; helping the enemy |
| Right to bear arms | Second Amendment |
| First Amendment | Secures freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition |
| Third Amendment | No requirement to house/ quarter soldiers |
| Fourth Amendment | Protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures |
| Fifth Amendment | Protects accused from testifying against self, double jeopardy; must have due process of law |
| Sixth Amendment | Right to a speedy trial |
| bicameral | two house legislature; composed of two chambers |
| bill | proposed law presented for approval to the legislature |
| bill of attainer | legislative act (law) making a person guilty of a crime without a trail |
| conference committee | group of House and Senate members that work out differences in a bill. |
| Congressional District | Area in a state representing about 60,000 people |
| Elastic Clause | Part of Constitution that allows Congress to make laws needed to carry out duties. |
| ex post facto law | laws that allow gov't to punish people for something done in the past when it was not yet illegal |
| floor leader | Chosen by party member to be in charge of some party activities (both houses) |
| joint committee | Permanent group of House & Senate members to investigate issues about legislation |
| legislation | proposed or enacted law or group of laws |
| majority party | political party with the greatest number of members in the legislature |
| minority party | political party with the second greatest number of members in the legislature |
| president pro tempore | Senator who presides over the US Senate in absence of V.Pres. |
| select committee | Group of House and Senate members formed to study specific issue; issue not coverd by standing committee |
| Speaker of the House | Member of the Majority Party elected to lead the US House of Representatives |
| standing committee | Permanent group of House and Senate member responsible for laws in a specific area |
| whip | legislator who helps party leader by encouraging party loyalty and support |
| writ of habeas corpus | Ensures that a person is not held in jail without being charged with a crime. |
| term limits | the number of times an official is allowed to be elected to an office |
| Senate | One house of Congress; representation the same for all states |
| two | number of Senators for each state |
| four | number of years in a president's term |
| House of Representatives | Part of Congress; representatives from each state based on population |
| two years | each term for a member of House of Representatives |
| six years | each term for a member of the Senate |
| Article I | Part of the Constitution that defines powers of Congress |
| 435 | total number in House of Representatives |
| 100 | total number in Senate |
| US Representative | must live in district represented |
| US Senator | must live in state represented |
| expressed powers | written or listed powers |
| implied powers | not listed or written; understood as necessary |
| Senate | house of Congress that has power to approve (or not) presidential appointments |
| House of Representatives | Tax bills must start here. |
| Make laws | basic job of the legislative branch |
| ambassdor | person who represents the U.S. government in a foreign country. |
| amnesty | pardon given to a group of people who break the law |
| bureaucracy | very large, complex organization |
| Cabinet | group of top advisors to the president; head of exec. departments |
| civil service | all of the people working within the bureaucracy of the gov't |
| commission | group formed for a specific purpose. |
| diplomat | person who works with leaders ot other nations to carry out U.S. foreign policy |
| duties | taxes on goods entering the country |
| Electoral College | group of people chosen from each state and D.C. to elect the president |
| execute | to carry out or enforce |
| executive privilege | right of a president to information secret from Congress to protect nation's security. |
| foreign policy | plan for how the U.S. will deal with foreign countries. |
| licensing | providing permits for an activity such as interstate transportation |
| pardon | to give legal forgiveness for a crime |
| pension | retirement income or allowance paid by an employer |
| presidential succession | plan for what happens if the president dies or can't perform the duties of the office |
| private sector | business world outside the government |
| regulator | person who controls something through rules and regulations |
| State of the Union Address | name of speech given by the President to Congress each year |
| agriculture | another word for farming |
| commerce | dealing with business, trade |
| veteran | someone who has served in the military |
| Which branch MAKES the laws? | The Legislative Branch |
| Which Branch enforces the laws? | The Executive Branch |
| Which branch settles disputes? | The Judicial Branch |
| What is another word for the House and the Senate? | Congress |
| How many members are in the House? | 435 |
| This is the Supreme law of the land! | The U.S. Constitution |
| This is what we call the first 10 amendments | The Bill of Rights |
| This concept allows each branch of govt. to have some control over the others | The Checks and Balances System |
| Which house of Congress is filled with representative based on the population of each state | House of Representatives |
| Which house of Congress is filled with 2 representatives from each state? | Senate House |
| What is the form of government that consists of a central and state government? | Federal Government |
| Which branch of government consists of the court system? | The Judicial Branch |
| What is the introduction to the Constitution called? | The Preamble |
| How many members are in the Senate? | 100 |
| What is it called when the President DOES NOT sign a bill? | A veto |
| Name the four freedoms given to us in the First Amendment. | The Freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly |
| How old must a person be to run for the Presidency? | 35 years old |
| How many years must the president consecutively live in the United States before he can run for the office of the Presidency? | 14 consecutive years |
| How long is a Senators term in office? | six (6) |
