| A | B |
|---|
| civil case | a court case involving disputes over money or property between individuals or businesses |
| complaint | a lawsuit |
| criminal case | a court case in which a person is accused of breaking a criminal law |
| executive order | an order issued by the head of the executive branch to set up methods of enforcing laws |
| extradition | a legal process for returning criminals to the state from which they fled |
| full faith and credit clause | the provision in the Constitution ensuring that each state will accept the decisions of courts of other states |
| general trial court | a court that handles major criminal and civil cases |
| governor | the chief executive of a state government |
| initiative | a process by which citizens of a state may propose a law by collecting signatures on a petition |
| item veto | power of the head of the executive branch to reject one part of a bill but approve the rest of it |
| justice of the peace | a judge who presides over a state justice court, usually in rural areas and small towns, who tries misdemeanors and civil cases involving small sums |
| lieutenant governor | the official who succeeds |
| municipal court | a court in a large city that handles minor civil and criminal cases |
| patronage | a system in which government jobs are given to people recommended by political party leaders and office holders |
| penal code | a set of criminal laws |
| plaintiff | the person or company filing the complaint in a civil lawsuit |
| proposition | a proposed law resulting from a petition |
| recall | a process by which voters may remove an elected official from office |
| referendum | a method of referring a bill to the voters for approval before the bill can become a law |
| small claims court | a state court that hears civil cases involving small amounts of money |
| territory | an area that is eligible to become a state |
| unicameral | consisting of one house, as in lawmaking body |
| warrant | an order to pay out governmental funds |
