Terms starting with "I"

Interstate Commerce Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation that occurs across state lines. The Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to regulate this commerce, preventing states from erecting trade barriers against one another. Interstate Compact A contract between two or more states, or between states and a foreign government, to address a common problem or manage shared resources. Under the Compact Clause, compacts that increase state political power require congressional consent. Introduce To introduce a bill is to formally present it to a chamber of Congress, which makes it a matter of public record with a number (H.R., S., H.J.Res., and so on) and starts its path through the legislative process. In the House, a member introduces a bill while the House is in session by placing it in the hopper — a box at the side of the Clerk desk — with the sponsor signature; the Clerk assigns its number. The bill is then referred to the committee with jurisdiction. Investigation A congressional investigation is an inquiry by a House or Senate committee into matters within Congress legislative power — the executive branch administration of the laws, threats to public interests, or anything on which legislation could be made. The power is implied by the Constitution grant of legislative authority (Article I): Congress cannot legislate wisely, or check the executive, without the power to gather facts. Investigations use hearings, document requests, subpoenas, and witness testimony, and are conducted under each chamber rules. Iron Triangle A concept in political science describing the policy-making relationship among congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. These three entities work together to create policy that mutually benefits all three. Interrogation The formal questioning of a suspect by law enforcement officers. In the U.S., custodial interrogations are strictly regulated by the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to protect against self-incrimination and ensure the right to counsel. Interrogatories Interrogatories are written questions one party in a lawsuit sends to another party, who must answer them in writing and under oath as part of pretrial discovery. They are one of the standard discovery tools in federal civil cases, used to pin down facts, identify witnesses and documents, and lock in the other side contentions before trial. Interim Final Rule An interim final rule is a regulation that takes effect immediately upon publication, with the public-comment period running after the fact. It rests on the Administrative Procedure Act "good cause" exception (5 U.S.C. § 553(b)(3)): when notice-and-comment procedures are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, the agency may skip the usual pre-publication comment round, put the rule in force, and then consider comments before confirming or amending it. Intermediate Scrutiny Intermediate scrutiny (sometimes heightened scrutiny) is the middle tier of the Supreme Court framework for reviewing laws that classify people — between rational-basis review and strict scrutiny. Under it, a law must be "substantially related" to an "important" government interest to survive. It applies most notably to sex-based classifications and, in First Amendment cases, to certain kinds of content-neutral speech regulations. International Agreement An international agreement is a legal commitment the United States enters into with another country or an international organization. U.S. law distinguishes two main forms: a treaty, negotiated by the President and approved by two-thirds of the Senate under Article II, and an executive agreement, brought into force on another constitutional basis (the President own authority, often with congressional authorization) without Senate advice and consent. Both bind the United States internationally; the difference lies in how domestic constitutional authority to conclude them is exercised. International Law A set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between nations. It governs state conduct in areas like human rights, diplomatic relations, armed conflict, and international trade. Initiative A democratic process that allows citizens to bypass their state legislature by collecting a required number of voter signatures to place a proposed law or constitutional amendment directly on the ballot for a public vote.