Judicial Branch
The power or authority to hear cases and make decisions.
jurisdiction
The branch of government that makes the laws and has the "power of the purse" or controls the money in the US economy.
legislative branch
The branch of government that carries out the laws made b y the legislative branch; the enforcement branch.
executive branch
A small group within a larger group that generally seeks to promote its own special interests at the expense of the common good.
faction
A doctrine that humans have basic rights such as those to life, liberty, and property in a state of nature and that people create governments to protect those rights.
natural rights
The head of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the US is the highest ranking judicial official in the nation and is the head of the US Supreme Court.
Chief Justice
The lawmaking body of the US that consists of two houses. The Senate (upper house) and House of Representatives (lower house) and make up the foundation of the legislative branch of government.
Congress
The president; highest leader of the military forces. According to the Constitution is the leader of the nation's armed forces.
Commander in Chief
The buying and selling of goods, particularly on a large scale.
commerce
the well being of a person or nation
welfare
A judicial body that hears appeals from a lower court.
appellate court
A member of the legislative branch; a person who is involved in lawmaking.
legislator
The advisors to the president who are the heads of the departments of the executive branch.
Cabinet
government and political system derived from Karl Marx where all property in the society is publicly owned (shared in commune) and people are all paid equally.
communism
A requirement stated in the 5th and 14th Amendments that treatment by state and federal governments that involves life, liberty, or property of individuals be reasonable, fair, and follow known rules and procedures.
due process of law
The legal authority of a court to hear appeals from a lower court.
appellate jurisdiction
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution. It lists basic rights of the people that the federal government may not interfere with and must protect.
Bill of Rights
A form of government in which political power is held by a single ruler such as a king or queen.
Monarchy
The measure of wealth of a nation or state. The way a state or nation makes and spends its money.
economy
A form of government in which political power is exercised by all citizens, either directly or through their elected representatives.
Democracy
The power of the courts to declare laws and actions of the local, state, or national government invalid if they contradict the Constitution.
A person group having the highest authority or power in a country or state.
sovereign
The right of a branch of gov't to reject a bill that has been passed in an effort to delay or prevent it from passing. Under the US Constitution, the president has their power to do this to refuse a bill passed by Congress to prevent it from becoming law. However, it may be overridden by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress.
veto
The division of governmental powers among different persons or institutions so that no one individual or group can dominate or control the exercise of power by others.
Balance of Power
A system of government in which the people elect officials to make and administer laws for their country.
Representative Democracy