The two "houses" of our bicameral legislature (i.e. Congress).
What are the Senate and House of Representatives?
100
The name for each of the fifteen organizational units of the executive branch.
What is a(n) (executive) department?
100
The two most basic types of cases heard in a court of law.
What are criminal and civil cases?
100
The U.S. Supreme Court case that established the power of judicial review, making the judiciary a co-equal branch of government.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
100
The type of trial that does not involve a jury.
What is a bench trial?
200
A proposed law.
What is a bill?
200
With the exception of the Attorney General, the name for each of the heads of the 15 main organizational units of the executive branch.
What is a Secretary (of State, Defense, Treasury, etc.)?
200
The hierarchy of the federal court system.
What are district, appellate, and Supreme (or District Courts, Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court)?
200
A direct vote by the electorate on a single political question or issue that has been referred to them by the legislature (e.g. NC's Amendment 1 or California's Prop 8).
What is a referendum?
200
The two types of court systems in the U.S.
What are state and federal courts?
300
Only members of this legislative body may introduce bills for consideration or vote.
What is Congress?
300
In total, the vice president and the heads of the 15 main organizational units of the executive branch.
What is the Cabinet?
300
The hierarchy of the North Carolina state court system.
What are district, superior, appellate, and Supreme?
300
A procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended.
What is a recall (election)?
300
In legal terms, the power or the extent of power to make legal decisions and judgments. (In the case of law enforcement, the power or extent of power to enforce the law).
What is jurisdiction?
400
Where most work involving bills takes place.
What is in committee?
400
The rules the executive branch makes about how the law will be carried out.
What are regulations?
400
The power to declare laws and executive acts and orders unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
400
A legislative proposal that originates with the people---may be indirect or direct.
What is an initiative?
400
The name for the group of judges, usually three, that hear appeals.
What is a panel?
500
Special interests that seek to influence legislation.
What are lobbies?
500
A rule or edict issued by the president to an executive branch of the government which has the force of law.
What is an executive order?
500
The three decisions an appellate court (or court of appeals) can make, as such courts do not decide guilt or innocence.
What is uphold, reverse, or remand?
500
A legal case establishing a principle or rule that a court or other judicial body adopts when deciding later cases with similar issues or facts.
What is a (legal) precedent?
500
The four types of legal jurisdiction.
What are original, appellate, concurrent and exclusive jurisdictions?