LEGISLATIVE 1
Consisting of two houses, as in a lawmaking body.
BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE
An act that betrays and endangers one’s country.
TREASON
Written agreements between nations.
TREATIES
An official act by the president or by a governor forgiving a person convicted of a crime and freeing that person from serving out his or her sentence.
PARDON
Judges of the Supreme Court.
JUSTICES
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Proposed law being considered by a lawmaking body.
BILL
The chief legal officer of the nation or of a state.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
The order in which the office of president is to be filled if it becomes vacant.
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
The authority to interpret and administer the law; also, the range of that authority.
JURISDICITION
A refusal by the president or a governor to sign a bill.
VETO
To charge a government official with misconduct.
IMPEACH
The art of dealing with foreign governments.
DIPLOMACY
Formal documents that allow U.S. citizens to travel abroad.
PASSPORTS
An earlier court decision that guides judges’ decisions in later cases.
PRECEDENT
The official who presides over the Senate in the vice president’s absence.
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
The removal of a person from an institution, such as Congress, for serious misconduct.
EXPULSION
Executive department of the federal government established after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to protect the United States against future terrorist attacks.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
The highest-ranking officials representing a government in a foreign country.
AMBASSADORS
A statement written by a Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority’s decision.
DISSENTING OPINION
The process of drawing congressional district lines to favor a political party.
GERRYMANDERING
A method of delaying action on a bill in the Senate by making long speeches.
FILIBUSTER
The official residence of an ambassador in a foreign country.
EMBASSY
A yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation’s condition and recommending programs and policies.
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
The power of the U.S. Supreme Court to determine if a law passed by Congress or a presidential action is in accord with the Constitution.
JUDICIAL REVIEW