Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances Text Version The Constitution divides the U.S. federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Each branch has its own job to do. Checks and balances keep each branch of government from becoming too powerful. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. It has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Their job is to write bills that may be turned into laws one day. But Congress's power has limits. After both the House and Senate pass a bill, it goes to the president, the head of the executive branch. The president can sign the bill into law or veto it. The president's decision is a check on the law-making power of Congress. Congress can override the president's veto, but only if a two-thirds majority of its members agrees to do so. The judicial branch of government can also check the power of lawmakers. If a law is challenged, the Supreme Court can decide if the law is unconstitutional. But even the Supreme Court's power to interpret the law and settle disputes has checks. For example, the president appoints federal judges. And Congress confirms them. These checks prevent the Supreme Court from making its own rules for selecting judges. After the president chooses a federal judge, the Senate must approve the choice—exercising a legislative check on executive power. If the president breaks a law, the House can vote to impeach, or bring charges against the President. If an impeachment leads to a trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides. The Senate decides whether the president should be removed from office. These are just a few of the ways the three branches of government work together and check each other's power so that we, the citizens, are guaranteed a government by the people and for the people.