CIVICS

The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) amends the Immigration and Nationality Act by permitting an applicant for certain benefits to retain classification as a “child” under the Act, even if he or she has reached the age of 21. Prior to CSPA, once a child turned 21 years of age, that child "aged-out" and was no longer able to immigrate (or adjust status) along with his family. CSPA eliminates this problem by "freezing the age" of immediate relative children when their petitioning U.S.

See: separation of church and state

A federal law that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate the contents of tobacco products, disclose the ingredients of these products, and prohibit marketing campaigns that target children. Under this law, the agency can lower the amount of nicotine allowed in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings that appeal to kids, and block labels such "low tar" and "light." The law also requires tobacco companies to use large, graphic warnings on their cartons.

A consumer protection law also called the Credit CARD Act. Among its provisions is a prohibition against retroactive rate increases, a requirement that terms be clearly spelled out, and an extension of time before late fees can be imposed. The law also increases protections for students and young people when it comes to new credit card offers.

A section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities who are involved in programs or activities that receive federal money. Settings in which Section 504 protections apply include education and employment.

A federal law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities by federal agencies, by federal contractors, or by programs receiving federal funds. Generally considered to be a precursor to the broader Americans with Disabilities Act.

Passed in 1976, it provides a framework for the management of federal public lands. The Act recognized the value of the public lands and stated that they should be managed in perpetuity for the benefit of the American people on the basis of sustained yield and multiple use ("utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people").

Short documents that the President of the United States may issue when signing a bill into law. Presidents can use these documents for just about any purpose they choose -- to describe a bill, to explain the bill's purpose, to praise the bill's sponsors, or to interpret particular provisions of the bill.

A phrase most famously used by Supreme Court Justice Black in the case of Everson v. Board of Education. In discussing the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, Justice Black said that the clause erected a "wall of separation between church and state." He explained that this means, among other things, that the government cannot participate in the affairs of a religious group, set up a church, aid or prefer one religion over another, or aid or prefer religion over nonreligion.

The U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that people detained as enemy combatants had the constitutional right to challenge their detention before a neutral decision maker.

• Full text: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (Nolo)