Lemon test
test standard set by the Supreme Court in Lemon v. Kurtzman to measure the constitutionality of state laws. Separate, Secular, and Neutral in effect and intent
Authority given the courts to review constitutionality of acts by the executive/state/legislature; est. in Marbury v. Madison
Executive agreement
agreement with another head of state not requiring approval from the Senate
Realigning election
prior restraint
action by the government to prevent the publication of material; censorship
Discharge petition
a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had a bill for thirty days, may petition to have it brought to the floor; requires 218 votes
Coattail
Concurrent powers
governmental powers shared by the federal and state governments
Electorate
Full faith and credit
Senatorial courtesy
the practice of allowing senators from the president's party who represent the state where a judicial district is located, to approve or disapprove potential nominees for the lower federal courts
economic policy in which the money supply is controlled through the Federal Reserve
Amendment
a revision or change to a bill, law, or constitution
settled disputes between the states over the structure of the legislative branch; a solution to the problem of representation at the Constitutional Convention, in which the number of members that each state would have in the House of Representatives is determined by population, while each state would have equal representation in the Senate
Media event
a speech or photo opportunity staged to give a politician's view on an issue; staged to present the candidate in a good light
a rule of evidence that says that if the authorities act "in good faith," evidence that otherwise might have been excluded may be admissible. Modifies Mapp v. Ohio
General election
voters choose office holder from among all the candidates nominated by political parties or running as independents
The government cannot exert prior restraint.
Libertarianism
people who wish to maximize the personal liberty on both economic and social issues; prefer small,
only one representative is chosen from each legislative district
organizing a letter-writing campaign or taking out ads to influence public opinion and persuade public officials to support a particular policy
Government
the formal and informal institutions, people, and processes used to create and conduct public policy
Pocket veto
Socialism
a political/economic system in which the government plays a major role (usually ownership) in determining the use of productive resources and the allocation of valuable goods and services; may be democratic or authoritarian
Closed rule
Oversight
The Supreme Court ruled here that the right to counsel was required by law in death penalty trials. Also, capital cases must have counsel when defendant cannot defend because of "ignorance, feeblemindedness, illiteracy, or the like". Selective Incorporation case based on the sixth amendment. Gideon v. Wainwright
Federal question
a question of law based on interpretation of the US Constitution, federal laws, or treaties
Barnettte v. McColumm
Upholds establishment clause and free exercise clause. Engel v. Vitale
Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)
gives Congress the powers to pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out their constitutional duties, found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 18; also called the elastic clause
