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Lame duck - person holding office after his or her replacement has been elected to the office, but before the current term has ended. In the American presidency, the period after election day in November and the swearing-in of the new President in January is known as the lame duck period. Legislation - laws. Legislative branch - section of government that makes laws. In the federal government, the legislative branch consists of: Congress, the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, and General Accounting Office, and the Government Printing Office. On the state level, the state legislatures make up the legislative branch. Legislative power - power to make laws. In the federal government of the United States, the Congress holds most of the legislative power. Legislature - a group of elected people who create the laws. The national legislature is the Congress, while states and local governments also have legislatures. Legitimacy - the belief among citizens that their government has the right to pass and enforce laws. Libel - use of print or pictures to harm someone's reputation. Until 1964, a person could prove that they had been libeled simply by showing that the statements in question were incorrect. In 1964, the Supreme Court decided that public officials had to prove that the statements in question were made with "actual malice"-for the purpose of harming the person's reputation. As a result of the Supreme Court case, Time, Inc. v. Firestone (1976); private individuals only have to prove negligence, rather than "actual malice," on the part of the press. Liberty - freedom. Library of Congress - independent federal agency in the legislative branch. The Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, was established in 1800. It presents a wide range of materials for research, including extensive collections in American history, music and law. Line-item veto - power given to the president allowing him or her to veto specific provisions of appropriations and tax bills. Congress passed a limited line-item veto in 1995, but a federal judge struck it down in 1997. The Supreme Court recently refused to rule on the law claiming that those suing( a group of Congressmen) had not been harmed by the law and thus did not have standing to sue. Locke, John (1632-1794) - British political theorist of the Enlightenment who argued that government should be based on the consent of the governed, and that people had the right to revolt against ineffective or unfair government. His most famous work, Two Treatises on Government, was published in 1690. Logrolling - exchanging political support for political favors, especially by members of Congress and other legislatures.
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