Checks and Balances
Lincoln Learning Solutions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSconP2Hpp0

Transkript (automatisch erstellt)

0:05 Checks and balances. After breaking from a British government that lorded over the colonists, the
0:14 framers of the Constitution wanted to make sure that their government did not get too powerful. In order to do this, they established
0:22 three separate branches of government that would each have its own specific powers. The three branches of government are the
0:29 legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch, or Congress, is comprised of the House of
0:38 Representatives and the Senate. This branch has the power to make laws, the power to tax and spend, the power to approve treaties, and the power to
0:47 declare war. The executive branch consists of the president, the executive and cabinet departments, and the independent
0:56 governing agencies like the IRS. The president is the head of the executive branch. He has the power to carry out the laws passed by Congress,
1:05 recommend new legislation, set foreign policies, and nominate Supreme Court justices.
1:13 The judicial branch is comprised of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the District Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court
1:21 in the judicial branch. This branch has the power to interpret all laws and decide cases involving state rights.
1:31 In order to ensure that no one branch becomes more powerful than the other, a system of checks and balances was incorporated into the Constitution.
1:40 In other words, each branch of government would be able to check the powers of the other. Take for example, the process of passing
1:48 a law. A bill must be passed through both houses of Congress before it goes to the president for approval. The president can either sign the bill
1:58 or veto the bill. Even if the bill is vetoed, Congress may overturn the veto with a 2/3 majority vote.
2:07 The Supreme Court has the final say because it can decide if a law is constitutional or unconstitutional.
2:18 In the framework of the Constitution, there are many powers issued to each branch of government. In order to keep these powers from growing too strong and
2:26 allowing one branch to overpower the others, there are many other ways that one branch can check the power of another.
2:33 Consider the following examples. The president has the power to order troops to fight, but only Congress can formally declare war.
2:42 So, without Congress's support, the president cannot maintain a war even though the president is the commander-in-chief of the military.
2:52 The president makes judicial appointments, but these must be confirmed by the Senate before they can be made judges.
2:59 The president can issue an executive order, but the judicial branch can find it unconstitutional and overturn the order.
3:07 Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, but they can be impeached by Congress or removed from office. The court system can imprison a citizen.
3:18 However, the president can pardon the individual and set the individual free. This system of checks and balances gives each branch of government a voice in the
3:28 country's affairs. If one branch ever tries to overstep its boundaries, there is always a check in place for one of the other two branches to pull the one
3:38 branch back into a balance of power.