Branches of Government - Ms. Mathis Class Page



Branches of Government When the U.S. Constitution was written, people did not want the government to become to powerful. One way the Constitution limited the power of government was by dividing up the government into three branches and giving different powers to each branch. This is known as the separation of powers. The Constitution further limits the power of government by having a system of checks and balances. Each of the three branches of government has ways to limit the actions of another branch.Three Branches of GovernmentThe executive branch is made up of the president, the vice president, the president's Cabinet, and a number of departments. The president is the chief of state for the United States and head of the executive branch. The job of the executive branch is to carry out the laws. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is an agency within the Department of Justice, an executive department focused on law enforcement.The legislative branch is made up by Congress. It makes the laws. Congress is made up of two different groups. The first group is the Senate. Two people are chosen from each state to be in the Senate. They are called senators. Since there are 50 states in America, that means there are 100 senators. The second group is the House of Representatives, which has 435 members.The judicial branch is another name for the federal courts such as the Supreme Court. The courts' job is to decide if a law has been broken. They also make sure that the rights of the people are protected. The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which means it can determine if a law or action from another branch of government has been unconstitutional.ExecutiveJudicialLegislative? president, vice president, cabinet, and other departments? president can sign or veto bills? makes sure laws are followed? Supreme Court, judges, and all U.S. courts? makes sure the laws follows the Constitution? is the final authority on interpreting the Constitution? Congress is made up of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives ? makes the laws and sets taxes? there are two senators from each state? the number of House representatives depends on a state's population, big states get more representatives than small statesPowerCheckedCongress passes a bill to become lawPresident can veto the lawPresident vetoes a lawCongress can cancel the veto with a 2/3 votePresident signs a bill into lawSupreme Court can declare the law unconstitutionalPresident breaks the lawCongress can impeach the president (put him on trial) for not following the ConstitutionPresident appoints judges to the Supreme CourtCongress can refuse to approve the judgesComment on Lessonof by ................
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