American Government Final Exam Study Guide Government - the governing body of a nation, state, or community Federalism - the distribution of power in an organization between a central authority and the constituent units Congress - the national legislative body of a country Legislative Branch - the branch of the government that writes, debates, and passes laws President - the elected head of a republican state Executive Branch - the branch of government that implements, supports, and enforces laws Supreme Court - the highest judicial court in a nation Judicial Branch - the branch of the government that interprets laws as constitutional or not Radical Views - -immediate, complete change toward the future -using peaceful or violent means Public Policy - a course of action proposed/adopted by a government, party, business, or individual Judicial Review - review by the Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act House of Representatives - -lower house of Congress -435 Representatives -part of the process of making bills into laws Commander in Chief - the President as in charge of the armed forces Dual Court System - -the US court system is divided into 2 seperate systems (Federal and State) -each is independent of the Executive and Legislative Branches of the government 1 / 2
Liberal Views - -some change over time toward the future -not using violent means State - a nation considered as an organized political community under one government Elastic Clause/Necessary and Proper Clause - a statement in the US Constitution granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the list of powers Apportionment - the determination of the number of Representatives each state gets based on population Chief Executive - the President as the head of the country Chief Justice - the presiding Justice in the Supreme Court Legislative Power - the Legislative Branch is empowered to make laws Re-apportionment - redistributing the Representatives after the census Chief of State - the President as an inspiring example for the American People Original Jurisdiction - the power of a court to hear a case for the first time Executive Power - the Executive Branch is empowered to enforce the laws Federal Government - -the separation of powers among 3 branches -involves checks and balances Speaker of the House - -the presiding officer of the House of Representatives -2nd in line for the Presidency (after the VP) Chief Diplomat - the President as they conduct relations with other nations by peaceful means Appellate Jurisdiction - the power of a court to review decisions and change outcomes of lower courts Judicial Power - the Constitutional authority in courts and Justices to interpret constitutionality Expressed Powers - powers specifically granted to the government by the Constitution
-Ex: Declare war, Tax, Print/Coin money
President Pro-Tempore - presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President
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