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Checks And Balances In The United States

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The American system of federal governance is rooted in the notion of checks and balances. In theory, these checks and balances are put into place so that no part of the government (Legislative, Executive, or Judicial branch) has more “power” than the other. In the United States, Congress acts as the legislative branch in which laws are authored and voted upon. The Executive branch (Presidential) has the ability to veto such laws. Such vetoes can be overturned by Congress with a 2/3 majority vote in both chambers of House and Senate. In the United States, the judicial branch of the courts is responsible for both interpreting the law of the constitution and existing laws of the land. In this way the judicial can be viewed as the balancing force …show more content…

Although they are formally distinct, the assembly and the executive (usually seen as the government) are bound together in a way that violates the doctrine of the separation of powers, setting Parliamentary systems clearly apart from Presidential ones.
The primary roles of the British Parliament fulfill four functions for the State: check and challenge the work of the Government (scrutiny), make and change laws (legislation), debate the important issues of the day (debating), check and approve Government spending (budget/taxes).
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is composed of branches: the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. In today’s day in age the monarch's role in governance, is largely limited to symbolic functions. The House of Commons, Parliament's lower house, is made up of about 650 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), where the Prime Minster acts as the “head” of the government. This is an important distinction from the Presidency, as the President traditionally represents the people and not the Government. The United Kingdom also operates within the idea of parliamentary sovereignty. This notion of parliamentary sovereignty makes Parliament the definite legal body and authority. As such Parliament has the ability to author, enact, or abolish any law. As a result, the courts in the UK cannot overrule its legislation, and no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot

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