Found a "right to privacy" in the Constitution that would ban any state law against selling contraceptives
a consistent set of beliefs by groups or individuals
Impeachment
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
Executive agreement
agreement with another head of state not requiring approval from the Senate
Slander
Libel
issues that merit action, as determined by the public or those in power
powers not expressed, but may be considered through the use of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Johnson v. Zerbst (1938)
Sixth amendment applies to federal criminal cases with possible imprisonment and too poor defendant. Gideon v. Wainwright
Opinion leaders
those individuals held in great respect because of their position, expertise, or personality, who may
Recall
special election initiated by petition to allow citizens to remove an official from office before his or her term
direct majority or minority party strategy and decisions in the House and Senate
Critical elections
sharp changes in the existing patterns of party loyalty due to changing social and economic conditions
Great compromise
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 is determined by population, while each state would have equal representation in the Senate (two senators per state)
Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect basic civil liberties
Nonpartisan election
an election in which candidates run as independents without party affiliation
only one representative is chosen from each legislative district
Federalist Papers
written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to support ratification of the Construction
Recess appointment
Gridlock
when opposing parties and interests often block each other's proposals, creating a political stalemate or inaction between the executive and legislative branches of government
Hyde Amendment (1976)
Passed by Congress in 1976; excludes abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid.
Superdelegates
Closed convention
a party national convention at which the party's presidential nominee has already been determined through the primaries
Primary election
nominating election held to choose party candidates who will run in the general election
the first written constitution of the United States, which went into effect in 1781; it created a unicameral legislature, in which each state had one vote but no executive or judicial authority; the power of the central government was extremely limited
Participatory democracy
citizens meet and make decisions about public policy issues; there are no elected officials;
Declaration of Independence
drafted in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson declaring America's separation from Great Britain
Checks and balances
a system in which each branch of the government has the power to limit the other branches of government so that one is not dominant; each branch of government is subject to restraints by the other two branches
Categorical grants
federal funds given to state and local governments for specific programs that usually require the recipient to match the money provided and have other strings attached
