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A change in or addition to a legal document
Amendment
Published words or pictures that falsely and maliciously defame a person
Libel
A person who is a legal member of a nation, country, or other organized, self-governing political community
Citizen
Limited government; the rule of law
Constitutional Government
The good of the community as a whole
Common Good
Presumption of an imaginary or actual agreement among people to set up a government and obey its laws
Social Contract
The dedication of citizens to the common welfare of their community or country, even at the cost of their individual interests
Civic Virtue
A form of government in which power is divided and shared between a central government and state and local governments
Federal System
Distributing and balancing the powers of government among different branches so that no one branch or individual can completely dominate the others
Checks and Balances
Reasonable grounds for presuming that a crime has been or is in the process of being committed
Probable Cause
A guarantee found in the Fifth Amendment against being compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against oneself
Self Incrimination
Those rights that prohibit government from acting in certain ways; rights that are not to be interfered with
Negative Rights
A criminal sanction or penalty that is not in accord with the moral standards of a humane and compassionate society
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Money or other security given to obtain an arrested person’s release from legal custody
Bail
Reasoned discussion as opposed to emotional display
Civil Discourse
Those rights that require overt government action, such as public education, medical care, old age pensions, food, or housing
Positive Rights
The theory was developed by the English natural rights philosopher John Locke, among others, to explain the origin of legitimate government
Social Contract
Type of government used to determine the number of each state’s representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives
Proportional Government
Basic principle that no single religion should be favored by governments over other religions
Separation of Church and State
Provisionally entrust or assign certain powers to their government for certain, limited purposes
Delegated Powers