federal
Shared power system
Federal describes a system of government where power is divided between a central authority and smaller political units like states or provinces.
The United States has a federal system, so federal often refers specifically to the national government as distinct from state governments: federal law, federal taxes, federal agents.
A federal case is one tried in national rather than state courts—hence the expression Don't make a federal case out of it, meaning don't blow something out of proportion.
Legislative governing body
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- executiveSenior organizational leader
- judicialOf courts and judges
legislative · amendment · capitol · administration · agency · cabinet · treasury · legislation
Legal authority's scope
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- FBIU.S. domestic intelligence agency
- DEAFederal narcotics agency
- ATFFirearms oversight agency
IRS · marshal · prosecution · indictment · subpoena · warrant · investigation · compliance
Formal union of parties
- republicState with elected leaders
- statesModes of being
- compactTightly packed together
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
secession · antebellum · Civil War · unification · ratification · founding · framers · sovereignty
Distributing power from center
- subsidiarityLocal authority when able
- devolutionTransferring power locally
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- stateCondition or mode
local · municipal · intergovernmental · jurisdiction · powers · enumerated · reserved · concurrent
senate
Legislative governing body
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- executiveSenior organizational leader
judicial · legislative · amendment · capitol · administration · agency · cabinet · treasury · legislation · regulation
jurisdiction
Legal authority's scope
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
- FBIU.S. domestic intelligence agency
- DEAFederal narcotics agency
ATF · IRS · marshal · prosecution · indictment · subpoena · warrant · investigation · compliance · homeland
alliance
Formal union of parties
constitution · secession · antebellum · Civil War · unification · ratification · founding · framers · sovereignty · statehood
decentralization
Distributing power from center
- subsidiarityLocal authority when able
- devolutionTransferring power locally
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
state · local · municipal · intergovernmental · jurisdiction · powers · enumerated · reserved · concurrent · preemption
- civicsballot, election, ballots, Bill of Rights, branches of government
- governancegovernance, government, democracy, vote, parliament
- politicsdemocracy, campaigning, campaigns, democrats, bill
- -al adjectivescultural, emotional, environmental, financial, historical
- Canadian ParliamentHouse of Commons, Senate, Parliament Hill, MP, senator
- government termslegislative, congressional, state agencies, parliamentary, government bureaus
federalunitary
Forming a single entity
centralized · unified · consolidated · confederal · single
federalConfederate
Secessionist state supporter
Southern · rebel · secessionist · Dixie
- federal powersCentral government's legal authority
- federal governmentCentralized national ruling body
- federal jurisdictionLegal domain of central government
- federal agentNational law enforcement officer
- Federal Reserve SystemUS central banking system
- federal crimeViolation of national statutes
federalism, federation, confederate, confederation, federate, confederacy, federated, federally, federalist