In turn, the president checks the judiciary through the power of appointment, which can be used to change the direction of the federal courts.The Supreme Court and other federal courts (judicial branch) can declare laws or presidential actions unconstitutional, in a process known as judicial review.In turn, Congress can override a regular presidential veto by a two-thirds vote of both houses. Once Congress has passed a bill, the president has the power to veto that bill. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to pass a bill in the same form for it to become law. Within the legislative branch, each house of Congress serves as a check on possible abuses of power by the other.The president nominates federal officials, but the Senate confirms those nominations.Congress has the power of the purse, as it controls the money used to fund any executive actions.In addition, the Senate must ratify any peace treaties. The president (head of the executive branch) serves as commander in chief of the military forces, but Congress (legislative branch) appropriates funds for the military and votes to declare war.government, as each branch exercises certain powers that can be checked by the powers given to the other two branches. “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” Checks and Balances ExamplesĬhecks and balances operate throughout the U.S. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary,” James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers, of the necessity for checks and balances. In addition to this separation of powers, the framers built a system of checks and balances designed to guard against tyranny by ensuring that no branch would grab too much power. Constitution divided the powers and responsibilities of the new federal government among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch.

System of Checks and Balancesīuilding on the ideas of Polybius, Montesquieu, William Blackstone, John Locke and other philosophers and political scientists over the centuries, the framers of the U.S.

Definition of commander in chief