The Judicial Branch interprets the laws passed by the Legislative Branch. The Checks and Balances system provides each branch of government with individual powers to check the other branches and prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. For example, Congress has the power to create laws, the President has the power to veto them, and the Supreme Court may declare laws unconstitutional. The Checks and Balances System also provides the branches with some power to appoint or remove members from the other branches.
Congress can impeach and convict the president for high crimes, like treason or bribery. The House of Representatives has the power to bring impeachment charges against the President; the Senate has the power to convict and remove the President from office. That system has worked effectively for more than years to limit power, but it also led to periods of legislative gridlock.
We are in one of those periods of total gridlock with the current partial shutdown of the federal government. Each of the parties has dug in. The Atlantic noted:. By the letter of the Constitution, and by the unwritten norms of American separation-of-powers governance, the main restraint on an overreaching, dishonest, or incompetent executive is a resolute legislative branch. Many attribute the rise of intense partisanship in the early 21st century to further erosion of the U.
Examples of checks and balances include: The president Executive is commander in chief of the military, but Congress Legislative approves military funds. The president Executive nominates federal officials, but the Senate Legislative confirms those nominations.
Both the House and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law. The Constitution gave specific abilities to each one of these three branches to ensure that no one section of the government could obtain excessive unchecked power.
Checks and balances are practiced by the U. First, the legislative branch is the part of the government that makes laws, but the executive branch gives veto power to the president, allowing the president to keep the legislative branch in check. In addition, the judicial branch, the part of the government that interprets the laws put into effect by the legislative branch, can deem certain laws unconstitutional making them void.
Moreover, while the president has veto power, the legislative branch can overturn a president's veto with a two-thirds " supermajority " vote by both houses of Congress. This ensures that the president cannot use his power for personal gain. The executive branch can also declare executive orders, effectively proclaiming how certain laws should be enforced, but the judicial branch can deem these orders to be unconstitutional.
However, executive orders are often declared for the benefit of the country and are rarely considered unconstitutional.
For example, on Apr. In another example of executive power, President Trump declared a national emergency on Feb. The White House. Fiscal Policy. Federal Reserve. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
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