Checks and balances

Checks and balances is a system in which branches of government can limit one another’s powers. It distributes authority to reduce the risk of its concentration or abuse.

Separation of powers: A constitutional arrangement that divides governmental authority among distinct branches. It assigns powers to separate branches, creating the structure that checks and balances connects.
United States Constitution: The supreme law of the United States, establishing its national government and defining its powers. Its structure gives each federal branch powers that can check the others.
Polybius: A second-century BCE Greek historian who described Rome's mixed constitution in his account of political stability. His analysis of consuls, Senate, and people offered an early model of mutual restraint.
Parliamentary system: A system of government in which the executive depends on the confidence of the legislature. Its executive and legislative powers are more closely linked than in a strict separation model.
Veto: A formal power to reject a decision, bill, or proposal. An executive veto can block legislation, subject to legislative override.
Marbury v. Madison: An 1803 United States Supreme Court case that established the Court's authority to review federal laws for constitutionality. It became the landmark example of courts checking legislative power.
John Locke: An English philosopher whose political writings defended limited government and divided legislative and executive functions. His account helped shape later arguments for distributing governmental authority.
Constitutionalism: The principle that government authority is limited by binding constitutional rules. Checks and balances are one institutional means of enforcing constitutional limits.
Judicial review: The power of courts to assess whether laws or government actions comply with a constitution. Courts can invalidate actions by elected branches that exceed constitutional limits.
United States presidential veto: The president's constitutional power to reject legislation passed by Congress, subject to override. It illustrates executive resistance to legislation and Congress's power to override it.

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