Terms you will probably want to know
Popular Sovereignty - the principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.
Federalism - a group of members with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political states or provinces.
Separation of Powers - a model for the governance of both democratic & federative states.
Checks and Balances - Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated and no one thing is to powerful.
Judicial Review - Review by the Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.
Limited Government - the power of government to intervene in the exercise of civil liberties is restricted by law.
Bill of Attainder - a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without a trial.
Elastic Clause/The Necessary and Proper - The Congress shall have Power to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution.
Supremacy Clause - assures that the Constitution and federal laws and treaties take precedence over state law.
Writ of Habeas Corpus - a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge.
Ex Post Facto - laws or other mandates that are passed to restrict behavior that was, when practiced, entirely legal.
Due Process - Fair treatment through the normal judicial system.
Expressed Powers - set forth the authoritative capacity of Congress.
Implied Powers - powers authorized by a legal document which, while not stated, seem to be implied by powers expressly stated
Full Faith and Credit - addresses the duties that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state."
Privileges and Immunities - all citizens of the United States have the same rights within the states
Extradition - The action of extraditing a person accused or convicted of a crime.
Republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.
Federalism - a group of members with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political states or provinces.
Separation of Powers - a model for the governance of both democratic & federative states.
Checks and Balances - Counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated and no one thing is to powerful.
Judicial Review - Review by the Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.
Limited Government - the power of government to intervene in the exercise of civil liberties is restricted by law.
Bill of Attainder - a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without a trial.
Elastic Clause/The Necessary and Proper - The Congress shall have Power to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution.
Supremacy Clause - assures that the Constitution and federal laws and treaties take precedence over state law.
Writ of Habeas Corpus - a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge.
Ex Post Facto - laws or other mandates that are passed to restrict behavior that was, when practiced, entirely legal.
Due Process - Fair treatment through the normal judicial system.
Expressed Powers - set forth the authoritative capacity of Congress.
Implied Powers - powers authorized by a legal document which, while not stated, seem to be implied by powers expressly stated
Full Faith and Credit - addresses the duties that states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state."
Privileges and Immunities - all citizens of the United States have the same rights within the states
Extradition - The action of extraditing a person accused or convicted of a crime.
Republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.