the power to make laws

protection against the arbitrary taking of life, liberty, or property

belief that the federal and state governments should share power equally

power of Congress to regulate trade

no state can draw unreasonable distinctions between its residents and those of other states

declares that the Constitution is the "supreme law"

the right to vote

differences in the way men and women vote

campaign money given directly to a candidate

members of both houses working together

political donations given to the party or a special-interest group

belief in the application of precedent and the Framer's original intent

vote cast by electors in the electoral college

a proposed law

a case involving a contract dispute

failed because they gave more power to some states than to others

the major agent of government change though not mentioned in the Constitution

the national government's specific power, like coining money

ended poll taxes as a requirement to vote

abolished slavery as a result of the Civil War

necessary for ratification of an amendment to the Constitution

the government document used to determine how many seats a state will receive during reapportionment

the result of television's influence in politics

the reason the framers believed a bicameral legislature was the best option

what Congress must have to propose a Constitutional amendment

The League of Women Voters would be an example of

gives the president the power to carry out the laws.

is the power of an executive authority to nullify or cancel specific provisions of a bill, usually a budget appropriations bill, without vetoing the entire legislative package.

a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal

Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.

the first basis for the new nation's government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties

a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government

those who supported ratification of the Constitution

a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two-house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate

the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away

a plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote

a form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights

the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state's free population and 60 percent of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

a legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan

the power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress

a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state's population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house

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

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

a law that criminalizes an act retroactively; prohibited under the Constitution

found in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, this clause prohibits states from discriminating against out-of-staters by denying such guarantees as access to courts, legal protection, and property and travel rights

a petition that enables someone in custody to petition a judge to determine whether that person's detention is legal

limitations on the power of government, designed to ensure personal freedoms

guarantees of equal treatment by government authorities

a prosecution pursued twice at the same level of government for the same criminal action

provisions of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments that limit government power to deny people "life, liberty, or property" on an unfair basis

the provision of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from endorsing a state-sponsored religion; interpreted as preventing government from favoring some religious beliefs over others or religion over non-religion

a requirement, from Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio, that evidence obtained as a result of an illegal search or seizure cannot be used to try someone for a crime

the provision of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from regulating religious beliefs and practices

a statement by law enforcement officers informing a person arrested or subject to interrogation of his or her rights

a law passed by Congress in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that broadened federal powers to monitor electronic communications; the full name is the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act)

a government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it (e.g., forbidding someone to publish a book he or she plans to release)

legal standard for determining whether a search or seizure is constitutional or a crime has been committed; a lower threshold than the standard of proof needed at a criminal trial

the right to be free of government intrusion

a legal document, signed by a judge, allowing police to search and/or seize persons or property

the gradual process of making some guarantees of the Bill of Rights (so far) apply to state governments and the national government

an action or statement that admits guilt or responsibility for a crime

a form of expression that does not use writing or speech but nonetheless communicates an idea (e.g., wearing an article of clothing to show solidarity with a group)

the use of programs and policies designed to assist groups that have historically been subject to discrimination

the Native American civil rights group responsible for the occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973

laws passed immediately after the Civil War that discriminated against freed slaves and other Black people and deprived them of their rights

the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Plessy v. Ferguson and declared segregation and "separate but equal" to be unconstitutional in public education

an action taken in violation of the letter of the law to demonstrate that the law is unjust

segregation that results from the private choices of individuals

segregation that results from government discrimination

a provision of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires the states to treat all residents equally under the law

the proposed amendment to the Constitution that would have prohibited all discrimination based on sex

an invisible barrier caused by discrimination that prevents women from rising to the highest levels of an organization—including corporations, governments, academic institutions, and religious organizations

the provision in some southern states that allowed illiterate White people to vote because their ancestors had been able to vote before the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified

harassment, bullying, or other criminal acts directed against someone because of bias against that person's sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, or disability

state and local laws that promoted racial segregation and undermined Black voting rights in the south after Reconstruction

tests that required the prospective voter in some states to be able to read a passage of text and answer questions about it; often used as a way to disenfranchise racial or ethnic minorities

annual tax imposed by some states before a person was allowed to vote

the period from 1865 to 1877 during which the governments of Confederate states were reorganized prior to being readmitted to the Union

a bar in Greenwich Village, New York, where the modern Gay Pride movement began after rioters protested the police treatment of the LGBT community there

the section of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of sex

the name given to the forced migration of the Cherokees from Georgia to Oklahoma in 1838-1839

an election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place

a public opinion poll that measures a public's positive feelings about a candidate or politician

day-to-day media coverage of candidate performance in the election

a number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens

a political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy

a political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality

a collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic, person, or event

politically biased campaign information presented as a poll in order to change minds

a limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen

a group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest

an informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population

the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next U.S. president

the advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection

the current holder of a political office

the congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president's term

an election in which any registered voter may vote in any party's primary or caucus

the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates

organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics

a campaign run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination of the candidate

officially known as Independent Expenditure-Only Committees; organizations that can fundraise and spend as they please to support or attack a candidate but not contribute directly to a candidate or strategize with a candidate's campaign

all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state

a government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it (e.g., forbidding someone to publish a book he or she plans to release)

printed information about a person or organization that is not true and harms the reputation of the person or organization

the collection of all media forms that communicate information to the general public

an FCC policy that all candidates running for office must be given the same radio and television airtime opportunities

the media's ability to choose which issues or topics get attention

a process of cooperation through compromise

the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate

the legislative party with over half the seats in a legislative body, and thus significant power to control the agenda

the legislative party with less than half the seats in a legislative body

an individual who falls in the middle of the ideological spectrum

the formal structure of the political party and the active members responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates

the collection of a party's positions on issues it considers politically important

organizations made up of groups of people with similar interests that try to directly influence public policy through their members who seek and hold public office

the reallocation of House seats between the states to account for population changes

the redrawing of electoral maps

political parties formed as an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties, also known as minor parties

a system in which two major parties win all or almost all elections

was a 2010 Supreme Court case that granted corporations and unions the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections

three-way relationship among congressional committees, interests groups, and the bureaucracy

the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are distributed among the fifty states

proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature

a parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion

the relationship between Congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people

a special type of joint committee that reconciles different bills passed in the House and Senate so a single bill results

the body of voters, or constituents, represented by a particular politician

a parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate on a piece of legislation as long as possible, typically with the intended purpose of obstructing or killing it

the powers not specifically detailed in the U.S. Constitution but inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government

a legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority

the leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate; in the House, the majority leader serves under the Speaker of the House, in the Senate, the majority leader is the functional leader and chief spokesperson for the majority party

the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of either the House or the Senate

the senator who acts in the absence of the actual president of the Senate, who is also the vice president of the United States; the president pro tempore is usually the most senior senator of the majority party

an elected leader's looking out for his or her constituents while carrying out the duties of the office

a small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded; also called an ad hoc, or special, committee

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of the majority party; the Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president

a permanent legislative committee that meets regularly

in the House and in the Senate, a high leadership position whose primary duty is to enforce voting discipline in the chambers and conferences

Theodore Roosevelt's notion of the presidency as a platform from which the president could push an agenda

a group of advisors to the president, consisting of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch who head the fifteen executive departments

an international agreement between the president and another country made by the executive branch and without formal consent by the Senate

the administrative organization that reports directly to the president and made up of important offices, units, and staff of the current president and headed by the White House chief of staff

a rule or order issued by the president without the cooperation of Congress and having the force of law

the president's right to withhold information from Congress, the judiciary, or the public

the act of charging a government official with serious wrongdoing, which in some cases may lead to the removal of that official from office

literally a "friend of the court" and used for a brief filed by someone who is interested in but not party to a case

a court that reviews cases already decided by a lower or trial court and that may change the lower court's decision

the highest-ranking justice on the Supreme Court

the appeals (appellate) courts of the federal court system that review decisions of the lower (district) courts; also called courts of appeals

a non-criminal law defining private rights and remedies

a law that prohibits actions that could harm or endanger others, and establishes punishment for those actions

a judicial philosophy in which a justice is more likely to overturn decisions or rule actions by the other branches unconstitutional, especially in an attempt to broaden individual rights and liberties

a judicial philosophy in which a justice is more likely to let stand the decisions or actions of the other branches of government

the power of the courts to review actions taken by the other branches of government and the states and to rule on whether those actions are constitutional

the 1803 Supreme Court case that established the courts' power of judicial review and the first time the Supreme Court ruled an act of Congress to be unconstitutional

the principles or guidelines established by courts in earlier cases that frame the ongoing operation of the courts, steering the direction of the entire system

a Supreme Court custom in which a case will be heard when four justices decide to do so

an order of the Supreme Court calling up the records of the lower court so a case may be reviewed; sometimes abbreviated cert.

One man, one vote. Ordered state legislative districts to be as near equal as possible in population; Warren Court's judicial activism.

NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.

Maryland tried to destroy a branch of the National Bank. Marshall stops this by using the doctrine of implied powers. This case showed that it was possible to sue a state.

banned formal prayer in schools, government should not make any religion the 'official' religion.

Students have the right to symbolic speech at school as long as it is not disruptive

Reaffirmed Roe v. Wade but upheld certain limits on its use

the U.S. supreme Court ruled that there is a fundamental right to privacy, which includes a woman's decision to have an abortion. Up until the third trimester the state allows abortion.