TITLE: II. The Impeachment Process and Challenges in Connecticut

 

Vocabulary

 

1. bill of attainder - a legislative act that singles out one or more persons and imposes punishment on them, without a trial.
2. bi-partisan - supported by members of two parties, especially two major political parties.
3. categorical immunity – not held responsible under any circumstances.
4. compel – force someone to do something.
5. disclosure – making something known that was previously unknown. 
6. due process – the administration of justice according to established rules and principles.
7. Ethics Commission advisory opinion – a formal response from the Commission to persons who are subject to the Code of Ethics that ask how the Code applies to specific situations.
8. executive session – when the public is excluded from the meeting of a public agency for purposes of discussing personnel matters, pending litigation, security issues, real estate deals or disclosure of public records.
9. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) -  A law that requires the government to give out certain information to the public when it receives a written request
10. hearsay – testimony given by a witness who relates not what he or she heard, saw, or knew personally, but what others have said.
11. hearsay rules – hearsay testimony was allowed during the Select Committee of Inquiry hearings.
12. impeach - to accuse a public official of a crime while in office.
13. in camera – a hearing or inspection of documents that takes places in private.
14. in limine – at the outset. (usage: Attorney Ross Garber requests permission to file a motion in limine prior to the calling of witnesses by the Select Committee of Inquiry.)
15. inference - a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation.
16. jurisdiction – the power to exercise authority over persons and things within a territory.
17. justiciable - issues and claims that can be properly examined in court.
18. partisan – a member of a political party.
19. quorum – the minimum number of members required to hold a meeting.
20. Select Committee of Inquiry to Recommend Whether Sufficient Grounds Exist for the House of Representatives to Impeach Governor John Rowland – a group of ten Representatives assigned by the House in House Resolution 702. Committee is referred to throughout the unit as the Select Committee of Inquiry.
21. separation of powers – the idea that government is most free and effective when the powers and functions of government are divided amongst separate, independent governmental institutions.
22. Speaker of the House –  Elected by the Majority party to preside over the session of the House.  Sets the agenda for the party issues and controls which bills are debated on the floor.
23. special counsel – a lawyer appointed for a particular purpose. (Attorney Steven Reich was appointed as Special Counsel for the Select Committee of Inquiry.)
24. standing – the right or capacity to initiate a suit.
25. State Ethics Commission – in Connecticut, a nine member panel created to administer and enforce the State's Codes of Ethics.
26. stay – an order forbidding an action until an event occurs or the order is lifted.
27. subpoena – an order requiring an individual to testify.