Read the following text.

The Constitution provides for three main branches of government which are separate and different from one another. The powers given to each are carefully balanced by the powers of the other two. Each branch serves as a check on the others. This is to keep any branch from gaining too much power or from misusing its powers.

The system of checks and balances makes compromise and consensus necessary. Compromise is also a vital aspect of other level of government in the United States. This system protects against extremes. It means, for example, that new presidents cannot radically change governmental policies just as they wish. In the US, therefore, when people think of the “government”, they usually mean the entire system, that is, the Executive Branch and the President, Congress, and the courts. In fact and in practice, therefore, the President (i.e. “the Administration”) is not as powerful as many people outside the US seem to think he is. In comparison with other leaders in systems where the majority party forms “the government”, he is much less so.

The list below shows how the US System of checks and balances works:

The Executive Branch checks on the Legislative Branch:

- President has the power to veto law passed by Congress

- Proposes laws to Congress

- Submits the Federal Budget to the House of Representatives

- Appoints federal officials, who carry out and enforce laws.

The Executive Branch checks on the Judicial Branch:

- Nominates judges to the Supreme Court

- Nominates judges to the federal court system

- President has the power to pardon individuals convicted of crimes

- President can grant amnesty, forgiving a class of crime.

The Legislative Branch checks on the Executive Branch:

- Congress can overturn a Presidential veto with a 2/3 vote of both houses

- Senate can reject proposed treaties (2/3 vote to approve)

- Senate can reject Presidential nominations of federal officials or judges

- Congress can impeach and remove the President (House serves as the prosecution, Senate serves as jury).

The Legislative Branch checks on the Judicial Branch:

- Congress can create lower courts

- Senate can reject nominees to the federal courts/Supreme Court

- Congress can amend the Constitution to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court

- Congress can impeach judges and remove from the bench.

The Judicial Branch checks on the Executive Branch:

- The Supreme Court can use the power of judicial review to rule laws unconstitutional.

The Judicial Branch checks on the Legislative Branch:

- The Supreme Court can use the power of judicial review to rule presidential actions unconstitutional

- The Supreme Court can use the power of judicial review to rule treaties unconstitutional.

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