| A | B |
|---|
| Preamble | Introduction |
| Articles | Numbered sections of a document. The unamended Constitution has 7 articles |
| Constitutionalism | Basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law; the rule of law |
| Rule of Law | Concept that holds that government and its officers are always subject to the law. |
| Separation of Powers | Basic principle of American system of government that the legislative, executive and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches. |
| Checks and Balances | System of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive & judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others. |
| Veto | rejecting a bill passed by a legislature literally means “I forbid” in Latin. |
| Judicial Review | the power of a court to determine constitutionality of a law. |
| Unconstitutional | contrary to constitutional provision and so illegal, null and void, of no force and effect. |
| Federalism | A system in which a written constitution divides the power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments. |
| Amendment | changes in written words |
| Formal Amendment | changes or additions that become part of the written language of the Constitution itself. |
| Bill of Rights | The first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They set out the great constitutional guarantees of freedom of believe and expression, of freedom and security of the person, and of fair and equal treatment before the law |
| Informal amendment | A change made in the Constitution not by actual written amendment, buy y the experience of government, including (1) the passage of laws by Congress; (2) The actions taken by the President; (3) Supreme Court decisions; (4) the activities of political parties; and (5) custom. |
| Executive agreement | A pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state; a binding international agreement with the force of law but which (unlike a treaty) does not require Senate consent. |
| Treaty | A formal agreement between two or more sovereign states. |
| Electoral College | Groups of persons chosen in each State and the District of Colombia every four years who make a formal selection of the President and Vice President. |
| Cabinet | Presidential advisory body traditionally made up of the heads of the executive departments and other officers. |
| Senatorial courtesy | Custom that the Senate will not approve a presidential appointment opposed by a majority party senator from the State in which the appointee would serve. |
