Grab Bag
This is the formal body that elects the President of the United States, based on the individual votes of people in States. Hint: not the individual voters of states.
What is the electoral college?
This is how a president can reject a law
What is a veto?
This ideal holds that government and its officers, in all that they do, are always subject to—never above—the law.
The first 10 amendments of the Constitution are called this
What are the Bill of Rights?
This is the ideal that power resides with the people
What is popular sovereignty?
These are the heads of the 15 executive departments, and act as an advisory body to the President. Examples of this are: Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, EPA, etc.
What is the Presidential Cabinet?
This is best defined as the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action.
What is judicial review?
This is the concept that government must obey the law, and must adhere to constitutional principles.
What is Constitutionalism?
This is the only amendment to have been repealed
What is the 18'th amendment?
This is the relationship and division of powers between national, state, and local governments
What is federalism?
This holds that government and its officers, in all that they do, are always subject to—never above—the law.
What is rule of law?
This a formal agreement between two or more sovereign states. These must be approved by the Senate.
What is a treaty?
The judicial, legislative, and executive branches all have certain functions. Don't get this confused with the branches of government.
What is the separation of powers?
This is to declare illegal, null and void, of no force and effect—a governmental action found to violate some provision in the Constitution.
What is unconstitutionality?
This ideal means that that government may do only those things that the people have given it the power to do
What is limited government?
How many amendments are there currently in the Constitution?
What are twenty-seven?
This is a pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state. Since this is not a treaty, no Senate approval is required.
What is an executive agreement?
This is how the President may reject a law passed by Congress. However, Congress can override this with 2/3’rd majority.
What is a veto?
This is the method by which something is approved to add to the Constitution
What is ratification?
What are the Bill of Rights?
How many different ways are there to amend the Constitution?
This is the method in which an amendment is added to the Constitution
What is ratification?
This is the idea that one branch can check the powers of another.
What is called checks and balances?
Name one way an amendment can become law.
1. An amendment may be proposed by 2/3’rds vote in each house of Congress and ratified by ¾’th of the State legislatures. This has been done in 26 of 27 amendments.
2. An amendment may be proposed by Congress and ratified by conventions, called for that purpose, in ¾’th of the States. Only the repeal of the 18’th amendment came about this way.
3. An amendment may be proposed by a national convention, called by Congress at the request of 2/3’rds of the State legislatures. It must then be ratified by ¾’th of the State legislatures. This has never been done.
4. An amendment may be proposed by a national convention and ratified by a national convention and ratified by conventions in ¾’th of the States. This was how the Constitution was formed.
This concept means that no branch has authority over another, but either can check the powers of another.
What is checks and balances?