Unit 2 Study Guide: The Three Branches of Government

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the structure, powers, and processes of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, checks and balances, and legal concepts.

Executive Branch

The branch of government responsible for executing and enforcing laws.

Judicial Branch

The branch of government responsible for interpreting laws and the Constitution.

Legislative Branch

The branch of government responsible for writing and making laws.

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful.

Veto

The constitutional power of the President to reject a bill passed by Congress.

Veto Override

The power of Congress to pass a bill into law despite a presidential veto, requiring a $\frac{2}{3}$ majority vote in both houses.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislative body divided into two distinct houses, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Senate

The upper chamber of Congress, consisting of $100$ total members ($2$ per state) who serve $6$-year terms based on equal representation.

House of Representatives

The lower chamber of Congress, consisting of $435$ total members who serve $2$-year terms based on proportional representation by population.

U.S. Census

An official population count conducted every $10$ years that determines how many representatives and congressional districts each state receives in the House.

Standing Committee

A permanent legislative committee in Congress that reviews, holds hearings on, and modifies bills before sending them to the full chamber.

Filibuster

A procedural tactic used exclusively in the Senate to delay or block a vote on a bill by extending debate.

Conference Committee

A joint committee formed by members of both the House and Senate to reconcile differences between competing versions of a bill.

Presidential Qualifications

The constitutional requirements to become U.S. President: being a natural-born citizen, at least $35$ years old, and a resident within the United States for $14$ years.

Federal Bureaucracy

The official network of non-elected government administrators, departments, and agencies that implement and enforce federal laws and regulations.

Cabinet

An advisory group to the President consisting of the heads of the executive branch departments.

Jurisdiction

The official power and authority of a court to hear and adjudicate legal cases.

Appeals

The process of petitioning a higher court to review and potentially revise or reverse a decision made by a lower court.

Criminal Cases

Legal court proceedings concerning actions that violate public penal laws and harm society, prosecuted by the government.

Civil Cases

Legal court proceedings involving non-criminal disputes between private individuals, businesses, or organizations regarding rights or compensation.

Supreme Court Justices

The $9$ judges who sit on the highest court in the nation, nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and appointed for a life term.

Majority Opinion

The formal written judicial opinion setting forth the legal reasoning agreed upon by more than half of the Supreme Court justices in a case.

Dissenting Opinion

A formal written judicial opinion by one or more Supreme Court justices explaining their disagreement with the decision of the majority.