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constitution
constitution fundamental principles of government in a nation, either implied in its laws, institutions, and customs, or embodied in one fundamental document or in several. In the first category—customary and unwritten constitutions—is the British constitution, which is contained implic...
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Constitution of the United States
Constitution of the United States document embodying the fundamental principles upon which the American republic is conducted. Drawn up at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, and ratified by the required number of states (nine) by ...
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amendment
amendment in law, alteration of the provisions of a legal document. The term usually refers to the alteration of a statute or a constitution , but it is also applied in parliamentary law to proposed changes to a bill or motion under consideration, and in judicial procedure to the correction ...
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referendum
referendum referral of proposed laws or constitutional amendments to the electorate for final approval. This direct form of legislation, along with the initiative , was known in Greece and other early democracies. Today, these legislative devices are widely used in certain countries, most notably ...
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initiative
initiative the originating of a law or constitutional amendment by popular petition. It is intended to allow the electorate to initiate legislation independently of the legislature. This direct form of legislation, together with the referendum , was known in Greece and other early democracies. It ...
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legislative apportionment
legislative apportionment subdivision of a political body (e.g., a state or province) for the purpose of electing legislative representatives. In the United States, the Constitution requires that Congressional representatives be elected on the basis of population. State legislatures, not bound by t...
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Legal Tender cases
Legal Tender cases lawsuits brought to the U.S. Supreme Court involving the constitutionality of the Legal Tender Act of 1862, which was passed to meet currency needs during the Civil War. The act had authorized the issue of $150 million in "United States notes" (see greenback ) without any re...
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Thomas McIntyre Cooley
Thomas McIntyre Cooley 1824-98, American jurist, b. near Attica, N.Y. He was a judge (1864-85) of the supreme court of Michigan and was the first chairman (1887-91) of the Interstate Commerce Commission. His best-known work is A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations Which Rest upon the Legisl...
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Roth v. United States
Roth v. United States case decided in 1957 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Samuel Roth of New York City was convicted of mailing obscene materials. On appeal his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court, which held that obscenity was not protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The...
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poll tax
poll tax a capital tax levied equally on every adult in the community. Although no longer a significant source of revenue for any major country, the poll tax did provide large sums for many governments until well into the 1800s. The tax has long been attacked as being an unfair burden upon those le...
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