Federalism Vocabulary

DE US GOV Test Study

Federalism

System of government where power is divided between national and state governments.

Implied powers

Government powers not written in the Constitution, but are necessary and assumed to be granted.

Supremacy clause

Establishes the US Constitution, federal laws, and treaties as the “Supreme Law of the Land”.

Cocurrent powers

Governing authorities shared by both federal and state governments.

Cooperative federalism

National, state, and local levels share responsibilities and collaborate to solve problems.

Categorical grants

Money given by the US government to state or local levels that must be spent on a specific purpose.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Prohibits discrimination towards Americans with disabilities in public life.

No Child Left Behind Act

Federal law that increased the federal accountability in K-12 public education.

Obergefell v. Hodges

2015 Supreme Court Decision that legalized same sex marriage across the US.

Unitary system

Single central government holds supreme authority.

Expressed powers

Specific authorities granted to the federal government stated in the US Constitution.

Commerce clause

Gives the US Congress power to regulate commerce with foreign nations.

Tenth amendment

Powers not specifically given to the federal government belongs to the states or people.

Full faith and credit clause

Written in the US Constitution, it requires every state to respect the public acts and records of every other state.

Dual federalism

Power is divided between state and local governments, each is working independently inside its own distinct sphere of authority.

Unfunded mandates

Law, rule, or regulation that requires states to perform certain actions without providing federal funding to cover the costs.

Devolution

Transfer of power or authority from central government to a lower-level, local or regional government.

Marble cake federalism

National, state, and local governments share power, responsibilities, and funding.

United States v. Lopez

Congress exceeded its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause when it passed the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990.

South Dakota v. Dole

Proposed that states must raise their legal drinking age to 21 or the federal government will cut their highway funds by 5%.

Confederal system

Sovereign independent states form an alliance, delegating only limited powers.

Necessary and proper clause

Grants Congress the ability to pass laws needed to execute federal powers.

Reserved powers

Powers the Constitution doesn’t grant to the federal government, leaving them to the people or states.

Fourteenth amendment

Established national citizenship, limiting state powers, and guaranteeing equal protection under the law.

Selective incorporation

Constitutional doctrine where the Supreme Court applies rights from the Bill of Rights to state and local government, rather than just the federal government.

Block grant

Money awarded by the federal government to state or local governments to help fund broad needs.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Established the principles of federal supremacy and implied powers under the US Constitution.

Gibbons v. Ogden

A landmark Supreme Court case that clarified the scope of Congress's authority to regulate interstate commerce, reinforcing federal power over state legislation.

Checks and balances

Separate branches have the power to limit, veto, or restrain the actions of other branches.