| A | B |
|---|
| constituent | a resident of a district or state represented by an elected official |
| interest group | a group whose memebers hold common political beliefs |
| political action committee | and work to influence government officials, policies, and practices. Interest groups are also called pressure groups |
| oversight | the power of a legislature to review and monitor the activities of an executive branch agency to determine whether it is properly executing laws under its administration |
| census | a periodic,official counting of a population. Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution requires a U.S. census every 10 years to use in apportioning seats in the House of Representatives among the states |
| apportion | to determine how many legislatures should represent a jurisdiction in a legislative body |
| gerrymandering | the redrawing of legislative district boundaries in order to strengthen the political power of one group or political party over another |
| franking privilege | the right of a member of Congress to send mail without paying postage |
| immunity | protection from being sued or prosecuted for actions that are part of certain government officials' elective office |
| impeach | the bringing of formal charges by a legislature against a public official. Impeachment is the first step in removing an offical from office |
| ex post facto law | a law that illegalizes specific acts that took place before it was passed |
| bill of attainder | a law that convicts people of a crime and punishes them without a trial |
| writ of habeas corpus | a judicial order directing law enforcement authorities to bring any prisoner before a court official and cite the reason for his or her imprisonment, to determine if that person is being held lawfully |
