| A | B |
|---|
| bicameral | two houses |
| Census | a population count taken by the Census Bureau. |
| Majority Party | in both houses of Representatives and the Senate, the party to which more than half the members belong. |
| Minority Party | in both houses of Representatives and the Senate, the party to which fewer than half the members belong. |
| Standing committee | permanent committee that continues work from session to session in its Congress. |
| Casework | the work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem. |
| Pork Barrel | government project grant that primarily benefits the home district or state. |
| Special Interest Group | an organization of people with some common interest who try to interest government decisions. |
| Filibuster | a tactic for defeating a bill in the Senate by talking until the bill's sponsor withdraws it. |
| Cloture | a procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill. |
| Pocket Veto | a president's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it |
| Executive Department | a federal department in the executive branch. |
| Cabinet | a group of advisers to the president that includes the heads of 15 top level executive departments. |
| Jurisdiction | a courts's authority to hear and decide cases. |
| Original Jurisdiction | the authority to hear cases for the first time. |
| Appeals Court | a court that reviews decisions made in lower district courts. |
| judicial review | a power of the Supreme Court to say whether any federal, state, or local law or government action goes against the Constitution. |
| Majority opinion | A statement that presents the views of the majority of the Supreme Court justices regarding a case. |
| Dissenting opinion | a statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion. |
| Concurrent Opinion | a statement written by a justice who votes with the majority , but for different reasons. |
