Vocabulary
The following vocabulary words may be helpful in better understanding the three branches of government.
The Legislative Branch
-Incumbents: Those already holding office. In congressional elections, incumbents usually win.
-Bicameral legislature: A legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska's are bicameral.
-Filibuster: A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill.
-Speaker of the House: An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.
-Majority leader: The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, or the party's manager in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party's legislative positions.
-Whips: Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lead on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.
-Minority leader: The principal leader of the minority part int he House of Representatives or the Senate.
-Bill: A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.
The Executive Branch
-22nd Amendment: Ratified in 1951, this amendment limits presidents to two terms of office.
-25th Amendment: Ratified in 1967, this amendment permits the vice president to become acting president if the vice president and the president's cabinet determine that the president is disabled, and it outlines how a recuperated president can reclaim the job.
-Impeachment: The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Constitution. the House of Representatives may impeach the president by a majority vote for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
-Cabinet: A group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution, although every president has had one. Today the cabinet is composed of 14 secretaries, the attorney general, and others designated by the president.
-Veto: The constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it. A two-thirds vote in each house can override a veto.
The Judicial Branch
-Original jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case.
-Appellate jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts do not review the factual record, only the legal issues involved.
-Judicial implementation: How and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy, thereby affecting the behavior of others. The courts rely on other units of government to enforce their decisions.
-Original intent: A view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original intent of the Framers. Many conservatives support this view.
-Judicial review: the power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and, by implication, the executive are in accord with the U.S. Constitution. Judicial review was established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison.
The Legislative Branch
-Incumbents: Those already holding office. In congressional elections, incumbents usually win.
-Bicameral legislature: A legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska's are bicameral.
-Filibuster: A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill.
-Speaker of the House: An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.
-Majority leader: The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, or the party's manager in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party's legislative positions.
-Whips: Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lead on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.
-Minority leader: The principal leader of the minority part int he House of Representatives or the Senate.
-Bill: A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.
The Executive Branch
-22nd Amendment: Ratified in 1951, this amendment limits presidents to two terms of office.
-25th Amendment: Ratified in 1967, this amendment permits the vice president to become acting president if the vice president and the president's cabinet determine that the president is disabled, and it outlines how a recuperated president can reclaim the job.
-Impeachment: The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Constitution. the House of Representatives may impeach the president by a majority vote for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
-Cabinet: A group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution, although every president has had one. Today the cabinet is composed of 14 secretaries, the attorney general, and others designated by the president.
-Veto: The constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it. A two-thirds vote in each house can override a veto.
The Judicial Branch
-Original jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case.
-Appellate jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts do not review the factual record, only the legal issues involved.
-Judicial implementation: How and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy, thereby affecting the behavior of others. The courts rely on other units of government to enforce their decisions.
-Original intent: A view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original intent of the Framers. Many conservatives support this view.
-Judicial review: the power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and, by implication, the executive are in accord with the U.S. Constitution. Judicial review was established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison.