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Amendment
a change in, or addition to a constitution or law
Executive agreement
a pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state; a binding international agreement with the force of law but which (unlike a treaty) does not require Senate consent
Supremacy clause
a provision of the U.S. Constitution that states that the Constitution, federal law, and treaties of the United States are the "supreme Law of the Land"
Federalism
a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments like States.
Cabinet
an advisory body to the President
Senatorial courtesy
an unwritten rule that is closely followed in the Senate
Separation of powers
basic principle of American system of government that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government
Constitutionalism
basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law; the rule of law
Rule of law
concept that the government and its officers are always subject to the law
Unconstitutional
contrary to constitutional provision and so illegal, null and void, of no force and effect
Electoral college
group of persons chosen in each State and the District of Columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the President and Vice President
Block grants
one type of federal grants-in-aid for some particular but broadly define area of public policy
Categorical grants
one type of federal grants-in-aid; made for some specific, closely defined purpose
Inherent powers
powers the Constitution is presumed to have delegated to the National Government because it is the government of a sovereign state within the world community
Checks and balances
system of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others
Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the Constitution
extradition
the legal process by which a fugitive from justice in one State is returned to that State
Inferior courts
the lower federal courts, under the Supreme Court
Judicial review
the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action
Expressed powers
those delegated powers of the National Government that are spelled out, expressly, in the Constitution; also called the "enumerated powers"
Implied power
those delegated powers of the National Government that are suggested by the expressed powers set out in the Constitution; those "necessary and proper" to carry out the expressed powers
Concurrent powers
those powers that both the National Government and the States possess and exercise
Reserved powers
those powers that the Constitution does not grant to the National Government and does not deny to the States
Delegated powers
those powers, expressed, implied, or inherent, granted to the National Government by the Constitution