compulsory
required
mandatory
required, obligatory
ordnung
rules, conduct, and expectations for members of the Amish church community.
secular
nonreligious
writ of certiorari
A writ seeking review of a lower court decision by a higher court.
free exercise clause
in the First Amendment prohibits Congress from making any law that prohibits the free exercise of religion
conviction
The judgment of a jury or judge that a person is guilty of a crime as charged.
exemption
Freed from an obligation, duty, or liability to which others are subject
unanimously
Sharing the same opinions or views
neutral
Belonging to neither side in a controversy
precedent
A judicial decision that is binding on other equal or lower courts in the same jurisdiction as to its conclusion on a point of law, and may also be persuasive to courts in other jurisdictions, in subsequent cases involving sufficiently similar facts.
penalizing
To subject a person to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or regulation.
industrialization
The development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale
congregation
The members of a specific religious group who regularly worship at a church or synagogue.
adamant
Not willing to change one's opinion, purpose, or principles
yarmulke
A skullcap worn by Jewish men and boys, especially those adhering to Orthodox or Conservative Judaism.
Mennonite
A member of an Anabaptist church characterized by nonviolence, refusal to swear oaths, and often simplicity of life.
Government
made up of the formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people
Power
refers to the government's authority and ability to get things done
Policy
any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal
Three components of the government
people, power, policy
Divine Right Theory
States are founded by God or the gods, and the ruler possesses a "divine right" to rule.
Evolution Theory
states from gradually over time, growing from family and extended kinship groups
Social contract Theory
States form when people reach a "contract" to surrender some power to a common authority in return for security
Force Theory
states form when an individual or group uses force to make enough people submit to a central authority
Sovereignty
The supreme power to act within its territory and to control its external affairs
Politics
the process by which government makes and carries out decisions
legitimacy
rulers are seen as right and proper by important segments of a nation's population
Divine right of kings
made the king answerable only to God, not to the people he ruled
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
asserted that life without a government was like a war pitting each individual against the other
Judicial system
The system of courts that administer justice.
Clean water, roads, public parks...
are available to everyone's use and can't be denied to any specific person
Medical care, high schools, public housing...
may be restricted to people who meet specific qualifications.
ordnung
an oral tradition of rules, conduct, and expectations that have evolved over decades