Foundations and Documents
This document, signed in 1215, established the principle of limited government.
What is the Magna Carta?
The number of years in a term for a U.S. Senator.
What is six years?
The maximum number of terms a U.S. President can be elected to, according to the 22nd Amendment.
What is two terms?
The term for the authority of a court to hear a case first.
What is Original Jurisdiction?
The amendment that protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures.
What is the Fourth Amendment?
The first governing document of the U.S., which was replaced due to its weak central authority.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
The leader of the House of Representatives, and second in line to the presidency.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
The role of the President when he or she sends troops into battle.
What is Commander-in-Chief?
The term for a Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority opinion.
What is a Dissenting Opinion?
This amendment guarantees the right to counsel (an attorney) in criminal cases.
What is the Sixth Amendment?
This is the specific term for the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
What is the Bill of Rights?
The term for the minimum number of members of a legislative body needed to conduct business.
What is a quorum?
A formal agreement between the U.S. President and a foreign government that does not require Senate approval.
What is an Executive Agreement?
The rule that says evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in a criminal trial.
What is the Exclusionary Rule?
The amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
What is the Thirteenth Amendment?
This compromise solved the dispute over representation by creating a bicameral legislature.
What is the Great Compromise (or Connecticut Compromise)?
This Congressional power allows the House to formally accuse a federal official of misconduct.
What is Impeachment?
The agency that prepares the President's annual budget proposal for Congress.
What is the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)?
The Supreme Court case that ruled that flag burning is protected symbolic speech under the First Amendment.
What is Texas v. Johnson?
The clause in the 14th Amendment that requires states to treat all citizens the same under the law.
What is the Equal Protection Clause?
This principle, established in Marbury v. Madison, allows the Supreme Court to rule laws unconstitutional.
What is Judicial Review?
A tactic unique to the Senate involving an unlimited debate to prevent a vote on a bill.
What is a filibuster?
The President's ability to refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated (This power was declared unconstitutional).
What is Impoundment?
The principle that the U.S. Supreme Court typically relies on past decisions to guide current rulings.
What is Stare Decisis (or precedent)?
The Supreme Court case that established the right to privacy, often cited as the basis for later abortion rulings.
What is Griswold v. Connecticut?