Branches of Government

History

The US government is divided into 3 branches (executive, legislative, and judicial), each of which has their own specific jobs. Each of the three branches of government "checks" (ie, blocks) the power of the other two, so that no one branch can become too powerful. The president (executive) can veto laws passed by Congress (legislative), and also choose the judges in the Supreme Court (judiciary). Congress can overturn a presidential veto if 2/3 of the members vote to do so. The Supreme Court can declare laws passed by Congress and the president unconstitutional, and hence, invalid.

Executive Branch

- Responsible for carrying out laws.

- Contains the President and Vice President.

- Organizes both domestic and foreign affairs and policies.

- Has the power to veto (reject) laws created by the legislative branch.

Legislative Branch

- Responsible for creating laws and regulations.

- Divided into 2 parts (the House and Senate: together they are Congress.

- The House is made up of representatives from each state based on the population of the state. Example: California has more representatives than Utah because California has a larger population.

- The House is responsible for creating and passing federal laws.

- The Senate is made up of senators with 2 senators from each state, regardless of the population of the state.

- The Senate is responsible for approving/denying treaties created by the executive branch. Additionally, the Senate is responsible for approving high-level officials appointed to the presidential cabinet.

Judicial Branch

- Consists of the Supreme Court, which is made up of 9 judges who serve for the entirety of their life and are appointed by the current president.

- Responsible for evaluating the laws in the country through judicial review.

- Each judge is responsible for interpreting the Constitution to the best of their knowledge and evaluating laws based on their perceptions of the rights of Americans.

- Results of Supreme Court trials can alter major laws present in society.