Government Separation Of Powers

Separation of powers has played a key role in preserving our framework for freedom. Our young country, may not have survived without separation of powers. Luckily, a French lawyer named Baron Montesquieu influenced James Madison to convey the separation of powers in the fifty-first Federalist Essay. The system is a grand balance; each side has an equal amount of weight. If a side were to have more weight, the system would break. Each branch of the government needs its own independence. The three branches of government are the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Each branch has its own tasks and principles that should be independent. The separations are important because it prevents any one branch from gaining too much power.

Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution states: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” First, the President can veto a law or bill that is unconstitutional. However, the President cannot declare everything unconstitutional. Next, the Vice President of the United States will take the place as President, if the President is unable to lead. The Vice President will break any tie in the Senate. Then, the President has fifteen departments, such as the State, Treasury, and Defense. The Executive Branch may seem to have all of the power, but they are limited by checks and balances. The President can serve a max of two, four year terms; this was a precedent from George Washington that every President has carried on. The only President to serve for more than two terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt, during World War Two. The Executive Branch does not have complete control of our

The House of Representatives and Senate are the main parts of the Legislative Branch. Members of the House and the Senate are elected directly by the people. Article I of the Constitution provided all of the framework for the bicameral legislature. The House of Representatives has four hundred-thirty-five members, however, the Senate has one hundred members, or two from each state. The person in line after the Vice President to become President is the Speaker of the House. The Legislative Branch can impeach any public official. The Legislative Branch can also revise and resend any bill or law that the President originally vetoed. The Legislative Branch contributes to keeping the other branches in check. The Judicial Branch interprets the laws of the country. The Supreme Court runs the Judicial Branch. First, the Supreme Court has eight Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. John Jay served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Next, John Marshall first used Judicial review during Marbury v. Madison. Judicial review served as a pivotal part in checks and balances. In an 1810 case, Fletcher v. Peck, the Supreme Court first declared a state law unconstitutional. The Judicial Branch plays an important role of the functionality of our