Branches of United States Government Paper

Branches of United States Government
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Institution:
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The constitution of the US has established three branches of government which include the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The framers of the constitution envisaged a system of checks and balances whereby each arm of government has a check on the other two arms. It is believed that the framers drew inspiration from European philosophers for knowledge regarding human traits and its effects on government.
The executive branch is headed by the president, but all crucial decision made by the president are forwarded to the legislature for scrutiny. The constitution gives the legislative branch powers to check on the head of state’s veto. The legislature can overrule a presidential veto by enacting a law in spite of the veto. According to the constitution, overruling a veto needs at least two-thirds of the two houses of Congress. Equally, the executive through the president has powers to check the legislature (Lucian, 2010). As mentioned earlier, whereas the legislature makes laws, the president can reject the suggested laws thanks to the power of veto.
The judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court of the US and has a bench of six judges including the chief justice. The Supreme Court is subordinated by lower federal courts. Whereas the constitution does not talk much about this arm of government, it has a number of powers to check the other two branches of government. This is particularly achieved through the ‘judicial review’ which was established in 1803.

Based on this concept, it is the duty of the judiciary to review the conduct of the other arms and give a verdict whether a branch of government has acted justly (Scalia, 1983). For example, the judiciary can rule whether laws enacted by the legislature are constitutional or not. Equally the courts can rule on the validity of an action taken by the executive. The executive equally checks the judiciary since the president appoints the judges. The appointees must be approved by the legislature, thus ensuring constant checks on all arms.
References
Lucian, R. A. D. U. (2010). The System of “Checks and Balances” In the Relationship between the Us Presidency and American Congress. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov• Vol, 3, 52.
Scalia, A. (1983). The doctrine of standing as an essential element of the separation of powers. Suffolk UL Rev., 17, 881.