Federalism and Constitutional Terms

Front

Bill of Attainder

Back

A legislative action declaring someone guilty without a trial; prohibited under the Constitution.

Front

block grant

Back

A type of grant that comes with less stringent federal administrative conditions and provides recipients more latitude over how to spend grant funds.

Front

Categorical Grant

Back

A federal transfer designed to limit recipients’ discretion in the use of funds and subject them to strict administrative criteria.

Front

concurrent powers

Back

shared state and federal powers that range from taxing, borrowing, and making and enforcing laws to establishing court systems

Front

cooperative federalism

Back

a style of federalism in which both levels of government coordinate their actions to solve national problems, leading to the blending of layers as in a marble cake

Front

Creeping Categorization

Back

A process in which the national government attaches new administrative requirements to block grants or replaces them with new categorical grants.

Front

Devolution

Back

Devolution is a process in which powers from the central government in a unitary system are delegated to subnational units.

Front

dual federalism

Back

A style of federalism in which the states and national government exercise exclusive authority in distinctly delineated spheres of jurisdiction, creating a layer-cake view of federalism.

Front

elastic clause

Back

The last clause of Article I, Section 8, which enables the national government to "make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying" out all its constitutional responsibilities.

Front

ex post facto law

Back

A law that criminalizes an act retroactively; prohibited under the Constitution.