Slides 3: Constitution and Federalism

Vocabulary terms and operational definitions covering constitutional principles, comparative political structures, checks and balances, and federalism.

Separation of Powers

An institutional arrangement that assigns legislative, executive, and judicial powers to three distinct branches of government to limit and decentralize authority.

Bicameral Legislature

A lawmaking body composed of two chambers, specifically the House of Representatives and the Senate in the United States Congress.

House of Representatives

The congressional chamber designed for the 'common people,' featuring proportional representation based on state population, two-year terms, a minimum age requirement of 25, and a requirement of at least 7 years of U.S. citizenship.

Senate

The more 'aristocratic' chamber of Congress designed to guarantee stability and protect smaller states, where each state receives two members serving six-year terms, requiring a minimum age of 30 and 9 years of U.S. citizenship.

Unicameral System

A legislative system consisting of only a single chamber, as used in democracies such as Denmark, Sweden, and Israel.

Electoral College

The constitutional body of electors ('referees') who are chosen every four years to select the winner of the presidential election.

Impeachment

The constitutional mechanism allowing Congress to charge and remove the president, vice-president, Supreme Court justices, and other civil officers for 'high crimes' including treason, bribery, breaking the law, or lying under oath.

Edmund Randolph

A constitutional founder who, motivated by a fear of tyranny, advocated for a multi-member executive branch representing diverse geographic regions.

Alexander Hamilton

A constitutional founder who favored an executive chief appointed for life to avoid chaos, and who argued in Federalist No. 78 that the Constitution represents the highest law of the land.

Presidentialism

A constitutional system featuring a single executive who acts as both head of state and head of government, where legislators and the executive serve fixed terms without interfering with each other's tenure.

Parliamentarism

A system of government characterized by the fusion of executive and legislative branches, where the parliament elects the head of government (prime minister) and the head of state holds mostly symbolic powers.

Vote of No Confidence

A parliamentary vote by which the legislature withdraws its support from the prime minister, forcing the prime minister and cabinet to resign and triggering new elections.

Semi-Presidentialism

A hybrid system combining elements of presidentialism and parliamentarism, featuring a directly elected president alongside a prime minister who must command a majority in parliament.

Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to interpret the constitutionality of laws and strike down legislation enacted by lawmakers, established in the landmark case Marbury v. Madison.

Judicialization of Politics

The practice in which lawmakers defer policy decisions by asking courts to evaluate the legality of laws, or politically manipulate judicial appointments to influence policy outcomes.

Legislative Supremacy

A constitutional doctrine typical of the British system under which the parliament possesses ultimate authority to make or undo laws, entirely free from judicial challenge.

Checks and Balances

A constitutional mechanism that enables each branch of government to oversee and limit the activities of the other branches to prevent the concentration of power.

Vertical Accountability

The capacity of ordinary citizens and civil society to hold political leaders and state institutions accountable.

Horizontal Accountability

The capacity of state institutions and government branches to monitor, check, and hold one another accountable.

Federalism

A political arrangement where sovereignty and governing authority are constitutionally divided and shared between a central national government and sub-units such as states or provinces.

Unitary System

A system of governance in which the central national government possesses exclusive constitutional sovereignty and holds ultimate power over local entities.

Supremacy Clause

The provision in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution establishing that the federal Constitution and federal statutes constitute the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over conflicting state laws.

Concurrent Powers

Governing authorities and responsibilities that are held and exercised simultaneously by both national and state governments.

Dual Federalism

An era or concept of federalism marked by a clear, distinct division of governing authority and boundaries between national and state governments.

Cooperative Federalism

An era or concept of federalism defined by intertwined, shared, and overlapping responsibilities and authority between the federal and state governments.

Devolution

The statutory delegation of decision-making powers and responsibilities from a central national government to subnational or regional bodies without altering a unitary state into a federal one.

New Federalism

A conservative political movement beginning in the 1980s that promoted the return of power and administrative responsibility to state and local levels through devolution.

Constitutional Amendment Process

The two-step method outlined in Article V requiring proposal by a $\frac{2}{3}$ vote in both houses of Congress (or a national convention) followed by ratification by $\frac{3}{4}$ of the state legislatures or conventions.