How Each Branch Checks the Others' Power

Hey, I'm Justice, and today we're going to figure out why no single part of the U.S. government can just do whatever it wants. The Framers who wrote the Constitution remembered what it felt like to live under a king who had unlimited power. They decided to split government into three branches — Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and the courts (judicial) — and give each one tools to slow the others down. Those tools are called checks and balances. Here is how the checks work in practice: • Congress passes a bill. The president can sign it into law — or veto it (reject it). A veto is the president's check on Congress. • But Congress gets a check right back. If two-thirds of BOTH the House and the Senate vote to override the veto, the bill becomes law anyway — without the president's signature. That is a congressional override. • Now say a law is passed and signed, but someone argues it violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court can strike it down in a process called judicial review. That is the courts' check on both Congress and the president. • Congress also checks the courts: senators vote to confirm or reject federal judges the president nominates. • Congress checks the president through the power of the purse — it controls the budget. • Congress checks the president in two steps: the House can impeach — formally charge — a president for serious wrongdoing, and then the Senate holds the trial and votes whether to convict and remove that president from office. Each branch watches the others like teammates refereeing each other. No single branch can score a goal without the others having a chance to call a foul. The goal is balance — so freedom is protected and no one person or group gains too much control.