“American political and legal institutions”

Political institutions

Structures through which political authority operates.

Examples:

• legislatures;
• courts in their public-law functions;
• elections;
• political parties;
• governmental offices.

Legal institutions

Structures through which law is created, interpreted, and enforced.

Examples:

• courts;
• legislatures;
• constitutional systems;
• legal procedures.

When I said these institutions have historically embodied different conceptions of citizenship, I meant that laws and political institutions have, at different times, reflected different answers to questions such as:

Who is a citizen?

Who is entitled to political participation?

Who is regarded as a full member of the political community?