Constitutional Law

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The set of fundamental principles and rules by which a government is organized and operates, including the framework and powers of government, the rights and obligations of citizens, and the relationships between different levels of government.

Federalism: The legal and political framework that creates a balanced distribution of power between the central government and state governments.
Separation of Powers: The principle that distributes government powers among different branches to prevent any one branch from dominating the others.
Judicial Review: The authority of the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws passed by the legislative branch or actions taken by the executive branch.
Supremacy Clause: The provision in the U.S. Constitution that establishes the supreme authority of federal law over conflicting state laws.
Commerce Clause: The provision in the U.S. Constitution that gives the federal government the power to regulate commerce across state lines.
Enumerated Powers: A list of the specific powers granted to the federal government by the Constitution.
Tenth Amendment: The provision in the Bill of Rights that reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the states or to the people.
Due Process: The principle that protects individual rights and ensures fair treatment under the law.
Equal Protection: The principle that forbids discrimination based on race, gender, or other characteristics.
Preemption: The legal doctrine that federal law takes precedence over state law in certain areas.
Dormant Commerce Clause: The idea that the Constitution implies a limitation on the states' ability to discriminate against or burden interstate commerce.
Privileges and Immunities: The clause of the Constitution that prohibits discrimination against citizens of other states.
State Sovereign Immunity: The principle that states are immune from being sued without their consent.
The Eleventh Amendment: The amendment to the Constitution that further clarified the doctrine of state sovereign immunity.
Political Accountability: The principle that elected officials should be accountable to the people who they represent.
Federal Mandates: The requirements that federal government imposes on state governments with the expectation that the states will comply.
Cooperative Federalism: The system of government that allows the federal government and the states to work collaboratively to achieve shared goals.
Dual Federalism: The idea that the federal government and the states are separate, independent entities with no overlap or interdependence.
New Federalism: A new approach to federalism that emphasizes the role of states in solving problems and limits the power of the federal government.
Interstate Compacts: Agreements between two or more states that allow them to work together to achieve shared goals.
Intergovernmental Relations: The complex web of relationships among federal, state, and local governments in the United States.
Federalism: It is a type of Constitutional Law that defines the relationship between the federal government and the states. It outlines the division of powers between the two, and outlines the responsibilities and obligations of each.
Supremacy Clause: This clause establishes the supremacy of the federal government over state law. It means that if a state law and a federal law conflicts, the federal law takes precedence and the state law is considered invalid.
Commerce Clause: This clause gives Congress the power to regulate commerce between the states and with foreign nations. It is often used to regulate economic activities and to ensure fair competition.
Tenth Amendment: This amendment reserves powers not given to the federal government to the states or to the people. It limits the power of the federal government and ensures that the states have some autonomy.
Due Process: This refers to the legal requirement that the government must respect all legal rights afforded to a person under the law, including the right to a fair trial, the right to privacy, and the right to equal protection under the law.
Equal Protection: This clause requires that the government treat all citizens equally and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, or national origin.
Bill of Rights: This is a collection of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which provides protections to individuals against the government. It includes rights such as free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms.
Executive Power: The Constitution grants the executive branch of government certain powers and responsibilities, including the power to enforce laws and the ability to make foreign policy decisions.
Legislative Power: This is the power of the legislative branch of government to make laws, regulate commerce, and control the budget.
Judicial Power: This is the power of the judicial branch of government to interpret the constitutionality of laws, interpret laws, and make legal decisions in cases that come before them.
"Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in federal countries such as the United States and Canada, the relationship between the central government and state, provincial, or territorial governments."
"These may include customary law, conventions, statutory law, judge-made law, or international rules and norms."
"Constitutional law deals with the fundamental principles by which the government exercises its authority."
"These principles grant specific powers to the government, such as the power to tax and spend for the welfare of the population."
"Constitutional principles act to place limits on what the government can do, such as prohibiting the arrest of an individual without sufficient cause."
"Not all nation states have codified constitutions, though all such states have a jus commune, or law of the land, that may consist of a variety of imperative and consensual rules."
"...customary law, conventions, statutory law, judge-made law, or international rules and norms."
"The executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary."
"...the relationship between the central government and state, provincial, or territorial governments."
"In most nations, such as the United States, India, and Singapore, constitutional law is based on the text of a document ratified at the time the nation came into being."
"The constitutional law of the United Kingdom relies heavily on uncodified rules."
"Several legislative statutes and constitutional conventions."
"Their status within constitutional law varies."
"The terms of conventions are in some cases strongly contested."
"...constitutional law is based on the text of a document ratified at the time the nation came into being."
"In most nations, such as the United States, India, and Singapore, constitutional law is based on the text of a document ratified at the time the nation came into being."
"...constitutional law is based on the text of a document ratified at the time the nation came into being."
"The executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary."
"All such states have a jus commune, or law of the land, that may consist of a variety of imperative and consensual rules."
"Their status within constitutional law varies, and the terms of conventions are in some cases strongly contested."