Constituents – the people of a particular geographic area who are represented by a lawmaking body.

Apportionment – the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives among the states

Appropriations – a congressional act or bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose

Impeachment-the process of charging officials in the executive and judicial branches with wrongdoing and bringing them to trial

Oversight – the power of Congress to check up on the executive branch and to make sure it is following the laws Congress has passed

Necessary and proper clause – Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, of the Constitution, which gives the national legislature the power to “make all laws that are necessary and proper” to exercise the powers granted by the Constitution; also known as the “elastic clause”

Indirect tax – a tax levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the government; tariffs are examples of indirect taxes

Direct Tax – a tax an individual pays directly to the government

Subpoenas – legal documents that require a person to testify in a certain matter

Writ of habeas corpus – a court order that forces the police to present a person in court to face charges; habeas corpus is a phrase in Latin meaning “you have the body”

Bill of attainder – a law that punishes a person without trial

Ex post facto laws – laws that criminalize an action that took place in the past and that was legal at that time; ex post facto is a Latin phrase meaning “from after the fact”

Bills – proposed laws

Standing committees – permanent committees of the House of Representatives that address the major areas in which most proposed laws fall, such as agriculture, the budget, and the armed services

Select Committees – temporary committees in the House of Representatives formed to carry out specific tasks that are not already covered by existing committees

Joint Committees – special committees formed from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to address broad issues that affect both chambers

President of the Senate – presiding officer of a senate

President pro tempore – a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president.

Senate Majority Leader –

Seniority rule – a rule in the U.S. Congress by which members have their choice of committee assignments in order of rank based solely on length of service

Filibuster – the tactic used when opponents of a measure seek to prevent it coming up for a vote in the Senate by refusing to stop talking in hopes of stalling action long enough that the rest of the Senate will be forced to move on to other business

Quorum – the minimum number of members needed to legally conduct business

Conference Committee – a joint committee formed from both houses to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill

Pocket Veto – a means by which the president can reject a bill, when Congress is not in session, by not signing it

Chief Executive- puts laws into effect

Commander in Chief-control over Military

Foreign Policy- a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.

Chief of State-ceremonial speaker for U.S.

Succession- the process of succeeding, or coming after someone

Executive Orders: formal, signed statements from the president that instruct or guide executive officials and have the force of law

Executive Privilege: the power that allows a president to refuse to release information to Congress or a court

Reprieve: a postponement in the carrying out of a prison sentence

Pardon: an official act by the president or by a governor forgiving a person convicted of a crime and freeing that person from serving out his or her sentence

Amnesty: a general pardon for offenses committed by a group of offenders

Commute: to reduce a person’s sentence

Appellant - a person who files an appeal

Defendant - the person against whom a complaint is filed

Prosecution - the action of charging someone with a crime and putting them on trial.

Appellate Court - the higher court that hears and reviews the appeals from legal cases that have already been heard and ruled on in a lower court

Exclusive Jurisdiction - the sole right to hear and decide a certain type of case, depending either on the subject matter of a case or the parties involved

Concurrent Jurisdiction -cases that fall under jurisdiction of both state and federal courts

Original Jurisdiction -the authority of a court to be the first court to hold trials in certain kinds of cases

Appellate Jurisdiction -the authority of some courts to review decisions made by lower courts

Judicial Restraint - the concept that a judge should interpret the Constitution according to the Framers' original intentions

Judicial Activism - the concept that the Constitution should be interpreted more brotdly, as an evolving document, something that subsequent generations can interpret consistent with changing values and circumstances

Cases to Know

Gideon v. Wainwright

6th and 14th Amends. Guarantee a right of legal counsel to anyone accused of a crime

Miranda v. Arizona

5th Amendment requires law enforcement to advise suspects of their right to remain silent and to obtain an attorney during interrogations. Miranda Rights.

Roe v. Wade

A state law that banned abortions except to save the life of the mother, was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.

Citizens United v. FEC

1st Amendment protects the right to free speech, despite the speaker’s corporate identity.

Obergefell v. Hodges

14th Amendment requires both marriage licensing and recognition for same-sex couples. Religion

Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion

Overruled what two other cases?

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Seperate but equal educational facilities for racial minorities is inherently unequal violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

Repealed Plessy v. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Equal but separate accommodations for whites and blacks imposed by Louisiana don't violate the equal protection Clause of the 14th amendment