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The writers of the Constitution had a vision for America and created the government in way that would

sustain its principles throughout the years. One of the principles they put in place is not giving any branch of the new government too much power. They did this by enacting separation of powers which provides a system of shared power known as Checks and Balances. In sum, the powers of one branch of government can be challenged by another. The President appoints judges and departmental secretaries. But these appointments must be approved by the Senate. The Congress can pass a law, but the President can veto it. The Supreme Court can rule a law to be unconstitutional, but the Congress, with the States, can amend the Constitution (Mount 2010). It is a genius and responsible system created by the founders of the Constitution. The system of Checks and Balances is what makes America have successful government. There are many ways that the legislative branch checks the other branches. On the executive branch, they have impeachment power (House), trial of impeachments (Senate), power to declare war, power to override Presidential vetoes, and many more. On the Judicial branch, they have power to initiate constitutional amendments, power to alter the size of the Supreme Court, power to set jurisdiction of courts, and many more as well. The legislative branch also has internal checks and balances between the House and the Senate. For example, bills must be passed by both houses of Congress; and neither house may adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other house (Mount 2010). Similarly, the executive branch has checks on the other branches in the United States government. In regards to the legislative branch, the President has veto power, is Commander-

in-chief of the military, and can call either or both houses into session in an emergency. When checking the judicial branch, the President has the power to pardon, and has the power to appoint judges. This is one of the most critical powers because Supreme Court justices have a lifetime term. The judicial branch has fewer but equally important checks on the other branches of government. They have the power of judicial review for both the legislative and executive branches. Another important check is that the Chief Justice sits as the President of the Senate when there is a presidential impeachment. Overall, the separation of powers works well with American government. It ensures that if a certain branchs integrity is compromised, it cannot corrupt an entire government. Being such a new nation, we would not be this successful if it wasnt for the careful architecture of our government. Thank you, to the framers of the Constitution.

Mount, S. (2010). Constitutional topic: due process. Retrieved February 23, 2011 from http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_duep.html

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