THE THREE BRANCHES OF

GOVERNMENT

TEXT PAGE 349 ~ USE ARROW DIAGRAM TO TAKE NOTES

United states government

The Constitution created a government of three equal branches, or parts.

The Constitution is the plan and set of rules for our government.

The three branches are:

LEGISLATIVEEXECUTIVEJUDICIAL

Checks and Balances

Each of these three branches have specific powers and are checked and balanced by the other branches to make sure they follow the Constitution.

checked/balanced = limits power

The legislative branch

The Constitution created Congress.

It is a group of people elected to make laws for the country.

Congress has two parts: -The Senate and -The House of Representatives. This is the Capitol building

in Washington, D.C.

The senate

There are 100 senators.

Each state has two senators.

A Senator is in office for 6 years. This is called a “term.”

Senators meet in the U.S. Capitol building

The house of representatives

There are 435 representatives.

The more people that live in a state, the more representatives it has.

Representatives serve for a term of two years.

They can be elected for more than one term.

Congress has limited power…

President must sign bills for them to become laws.

President may veto a bill, sending it back to Congress with his objections.

Congress may override the veto with a 2/3 vote.

Congress also approves judges whom the president has appointed

Congress also has the power to impeach the President or judges in the Supreme Court.

The Executive Branch

The president, or Chief Executive, is the head of the government.

The president carries out the laws.

After elected to serve

his/her country, the president lives and works in the White House.

The president is in charge of the armed forces.

The president works with leaders of other countries.

Checks and Balances…

The President can veto laws with which he does not agree.

Appoints justices to the Supreme Court and federal courts, but Congress must approve these appointments.

The President is commander of the armed forces, but Congress has the power to declare war.

The Judicial branch

The judicial branch judges whether or not the laws are being carried out fairly, following the Constitution.

This branch is a system of courts including federal district courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court.

Each justice is chosen by the president.

The nine justices of the Supreme Court can serve for as long as they live, or wish to retire (as long as they aren’t impeached).

Checks and Balances…

Impeachment is a check on the power of the court. Judges can be removed from office by Congress.

The Supreme Court checks the legislative branch by making sure laws agree with the Constitution.

The Supreme Court can also check the power of the executive branch.

Government

The president carries out the laws of the United States.

The Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) makes the laws.

The Supreme Court explains the laws.

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