Ch. 10 Vocabulary

Social change: any relatively enduring alteration in social relationships, behavior patterns, norms, and attitudes occurring over time
Proclamation Act: a 1763 act passed by the British Parliament forbidding white settlement in America west of the Appalachians
Constitution: a document that legalizes the existing political order and legitimizes its ideology, provides a framework for the administration of government, regulates social and institutional behavior, and enumerates national goals and aspirations
Soviet legalism: "strict and unflinching observance and fulfillment of Soviet laws by all organs of the socialist state and public organizations, institutions and all citizens, in all circumstances, and at all times
Dynamic view: a view of the Supreme Court maintaining that it can be more effective than other government branches in bringing about social change because it is free of election concerns and can act in the face of public opposition
Constrained view: a view of the Supreme Court that maintains that it can rarely produce significant social change because its practical powers are limited
Legitimacy: the ability to command compliance with rules despite the lack of objective means to compel it
Traditional authority: a type of authority that rests on long-standing usage and custom
Charismatic authority: a type of authority underlain by mythical, quasi-supernatural qualities
Rational-legal authority: a form of authority derived from rules rationally and legally enacted
Strict constructionism: a philosophy maintaining that judges must seek to discover and adhere to the "original intent" of the Framers of the Constitution when making decisions
Judicial activism: accusation made against judges when it is believed they have decided a case based on principles other than constitutional ones
Sherman Antitrust Act: passed by Congress in 1890 and designed to place controls on business
Supremacy clause: a clause in the United States Constitution stating that the authority of the United States (not the individual states) shall be the supreme law of the land