Bill

bill

a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion

Quorum

The minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action

Congressional Record

A written record of everything said in both houses of Congress

enumerated powers

Powers given to the national government alone

implied powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution

elastic clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.

Census

A complete enumeration of a population.

Bankruptcy

A legal process to get out of debt when you can no longer make all your required payments

Copyright

a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work

patent

(n.) exclusive rights over an invention; copyright; (v.) to arrange or obtain such rights; (adj.) plain, open to view; copyrighted

piracy

the unauthorized use or reproduction of another's work

writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

Naturalization

the legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another

bill of attainder

a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court

ex post facto law

a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed

Impeachment

A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office

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Veto

to reject

pocket veto

A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.

override

An action taken by Congress to reverse a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Election Day

Tuesday after the first Monday in November

appellate court

A court having jurisdiction to review cases and issues that were originally tried in lower courts.

Treason

Betrayal of one's country

Jurisdiction

power of a court to hear and decide cases

Extradition

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

supermacy clause

a clause in Article VI that declares the Constitution, acts of Congress, and treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land"

Naturalization

the legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another

Duties of the Legislative Branch

Makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies.

Duties of the Executive Branch

carry out laws

Qualifications for a member of the House of Representatives

To be elected, a representative must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the state he or she represents.

Qualifications for a member of the Senate

30 years old; 9 years of citizenship ; resident of state

Qualifications for the President of the United States

The Constitution lists only three qualifications for the Presidency — the President must be at least 35 years of age, be a natural born citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

House- 2 years

How long is a term for a house member

Senate- 6 years

How long is a senates term?

President- 4 years

How long is a Presidents term?

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A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins. The newly elected President and Vice President are then inaugurated on January 20th.

How does the electoral process work?

speaker of the house, majority leader, minority leader

Officers of house

Officers of the Senate

President of the Senate

Explain how the Senate is a continuing body with a staggered election and why?

elections where only some of the places in an elected body are up for election at the same time. For example, United States senators have a six-year term, but they are not all elected at the same time. Rather, elections are held every two years for one-third of Senate seats.

First five jobs in order of Presidential Succession.

Vice President. Speaker of the House. President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Secretary of State.

Special Duties of the Chief Justice

leads the business of the Supreme Court and presides over oral arguments. When the court renders an opinion, the Chief Justice—when in the majority—decides who writes the court's opinion.

What is the importance of the President's role involving the Supreme Court and why is his legacy tied to it?

As the final arbiter of the law, the Court is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution.

Process of Proposing an Amendment

A bill has to pass both houses of the legislature, by a 2/3's majority in each

Process of Ratifying an Amendment

Legislatures in ¾'s of the states or Conventions in ¾'s of the states vote to ratify

Purpose of Article Seven

The text of Article VII declares that the Constitution shall become the official law of the ratifying states when nine states ratified the document. When New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788, the Constitution became good law. End of story.

PREAMBLE

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States.