The United States Government: Checks and Balances
The Three Branches of The Federal Government
The Three Branches of The Federal Government
The United States Constitution created the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches of government. Each branch is unique in its rights and obligations as outlined in the text of the constitution. The legislative branch is responsible for passing bills through both chambers before the President gets to decide on whether to veto or sign the bill into law; the power of the Legislative branch is divided between the House of Representatives and Senate with the House of Representatives having the power to add as many congresspeople in direct relation to state population, while senators are capped at two per state. This branch can declare war, coin money, regulate spending policies, as well as taxes.
The Executive branch is supreme over all other branches and plays a vital role in the enforcement of laws. With its veto power, the executive branch can counter a bill before it is passed into law; these checks and balances allow for the executive branch to play an important role in the passage of any new statutes. The legislative branch, in the event of an executive veto, can circumvent the executive branch if bipartisanship prevails in its ranks and both chambers vote in favor of the proposed bill by two-thirds. The executive branch consists of the President and his cabinet, who enforce federal laws across the 50 states and appoint leaders at agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Social Security Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few. This branch has the power to negotiate treaties, initiate executive orders, and participate in diplomacy with other nations.
The Judicial branch is responsible for interpreting laws and striking down those that are deemed unconstitutional. These actions are carried out by carefully examining and interpreting the Constitution. This branch consists of the Supreme court which acts as the final arbitrator of the law, as well as a plethora of inferior courts ordained by congress and the Federal Judicial Center, used for education and research for the federal courts.
All state governments are modeled after the Federal Government with three branches. State governments differ in jurisdiction based on their constitutions, however, all states have a bicameral legislature (except for Nebraska). According to the EdTechBook, state powers can be; to establish a local government, ratify amendments, set laws for the legal drinking age, support the public health of its citizens, issue licenses for marriages, and more. The supremacy clause dictates that the constitution holds more power over state or local laws, in an event that a state law contradicts or conflicts with a federal one the supreme court will interpret the constitution and decisively strike down a law that goes against it. In such a case the supremacy clause holds the text of the constitution supreme and will refer back to it as a basis for making said state law unconstitutional.
In conclusion to the above paragraphs, the system of checks and balances shares its origins in federalism. A system that has two layers of government with one supreme while the other holds a broader scope of jurisdiction, this has been successful not only in the United States of America but also in other countries across the world. While local governments are responsible for citizens within a specific border, federal governments are responsible for all citizens of that nation with their rights and obligations laid out in the constitution.
Keywords: Constitution, Judicial, Legislative, Executive, Checks and Balances.
References
EdTechBook, C. (2023). https://edtechbooks.org/democracy/functionsofstate