| A | B |
|---|
| chief executive | the president and the head of the executive branch |
| concurrent power | a power that the Constitution delegates, or grants, to Congress but does not deny to the states |
| Congress | the legislative branch of the federal government, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives |
| delegated power | a power that the Constitution delegates, or grants, to Congress and therefore to the national government |
| elastic clause | the constitutional clause that gives Congress authority to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper" to carry out its powers |
| federalism | the division of power between the federal and state governments |
| federal judiciary | the federal court system, consisting of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts |
| impeach | to charge a government official with an offense committed while in office |
| independent judiciary | a system in which judges cannot be removed or have their salaries reduced for making unpopular decisions |
| judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to review an action of the legislative or executive branch and declare it unconstitutional |
| Preamble | the first part of the Constitution, which states the purposes of the new plan of government |
| precedent | a court decision used as a guideline in deciding similar cases |
| reserved power | a power that the Constitution does not delegate to Congress or deny to the states and is therefore reserved to the states or the people |
| special interest groups | an organization whose members share an interest or concern and want to influence policymaking |
| supremacy clause | the constitutional clause affirming that the Constitution and federal laws are the supreme law of the land |
