Checks & Balances

8.C&G.1.1 - Summarize democratic ideals expressed in local, state, and national government.

Checks and Balances

By creating three branches of government, the delegates built a "check and balance" system into the Constitution. This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too powerful.

Each branch is restrained by the other two in several ways. For example, the president may veto a law passed by Congress. Congress can override that veto with a vote of two-thirds of both houses. Another example is that the Supreme Court may check Congress by declaring a law unconstitutional. The power is balanced by the fact that members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president. Those appointments have to be Confirmed or denied by Congress. The President makes a Treaty, The senate can either Ratify or deny the treaty.