AP Gov Vocab 1.6-1.8: Federalism and Constitutional Powers

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from AP Gov topics 1.6 through 1.8: Principles of US Government and Federalism.

Executive powers

Powers given to the president, vice president, and the bureaucracy to execute laws and run the executive branch.

Impeachment and removal

Process of accusing leaders (impeachment) and, if convicted, removing them from office.

Judicial powers

Powers of the national courts to interpret laws and resolve cases.

Legislative powers

Powers of the national Congress to make laws.

Majority power

Control of the agenda through majority voting.

Minority protections

Freedoms and rights that protect minority groups and ensure their safety and rights.

Bills of Attainder

A law that would imprison someone without a trial.

Block grants

National grants to states in set amounts of money, with broad purposes.

Categorical grants

National grants for specific uses or programs.

Commerce clause

Congress’s delegated power to regulate interstate commerce.

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by national and state governments.

Delegated powers

Powers given to the national government by the Constitution.

Denied powers

Powers listed that the national government cannot do.

Devolution

The modern move to reverse and limit national powers and return authority to the states.

Dual federalism

The idea that states and national governments retain unique, separate powers.

Enumerated powers

Specifically listed powers in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8).

Ex post facto

Convicting someone for actions that were legal when committed (retroactive penalties).

Expressed powers

National powers described or enumerated in the Constitution.

Extradition

Returning accused people to the states from which they escaped.

Fiscal federalism

National powers linked to grants and funding to states.

Formula grants

Grants with specified formulas describing how funds are shared between nation and states.

Full faith and credit

States must recognize and honor the laws and judicial decisions of other states.

Horizontal federalism

Original idea that state authority and national authority were equal and should interact as co-equal spheres.

Implied powers

Powers inferred from the Necessary and Proper Clause beyond enumerated powers.

Incorporated powers

Powers applied to states through the Fourteenth Amendment (Due Process) via courts.

Layer-cake federalism

A view of federalism with a clear, layered division of power where the national government stands above the states.

Mandates: funded

Federal rules that come with funding to implement them.

Mandates: unfunded

Federal rules that states must follow but for which no funding is provided.

Marble-cake federalism

A blended, intermingled authority between national and state governments.

Necessary & proper/elastic clause

Clause that expands Congress’s authority beyond enumerated powers (the Elastic Clause).

Privileges and immunities

States must respect the rights of residents from other states.

Public policy exceptions

Issues where full faith and credit is not required due to public policy concerns.

Reserved powers

Powers retained by the states under the Tenth Amendment.

Revenue-sharing

Programs mixing national and state funding to support various policies.

Supremacy clause

Constitutional clause stating that federal law takes precedence over state law; conflicts are resolved at the national level.

Vertical federalism

Division of powers where the national government is supreme in certain domains.

Writs of Habeas Corpus

A court order requiring that a detained person be brought before a judge to determine the legality of the detention.