Making laws
lame-duck session
A session held after the November election but before the new Congress is sworn in, when members who lost or retired are still voting.
In full
The Twentieth Amendment moved the start of a new Congress to January 3, leaving a window each even year in which the outgoing Congress can still legislate. Lame-duck sessions often carry the hardest items: spending bills, tax deadlines, treaties, nominations. Critics note that members with no further accountability to voters are casting the votes; defenders note that the alternative is a two-month vacuum.
Also written as: lame duck
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.