Branches of Government and Their Powers
Our government is divided into three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch consists of the President, the Cabinet, and several executive agencies and departments. The legislative branch consists of the Senate, two houses of Congress, the House of Representatives including staff. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and federal courts. (credoreference.com) Separation of powers refers to the division of powers among the three branches of government which make, execute and adjudicate upon the law. In Section 3 of Article 1, the Constitution states; “The powers of the government shall be divided into three distinct departments: legislative, executive, and judicial. No person or persons belonging to or constituting one of these departments shall exercise any of the powers propyl belonging to either of the others.” The Founding Fathers created a system of ‘separated institutions sharing powers’ so each of the three branches of government can balance each other out. (credoreference.com) Having separated the three branches of government, the delegates of the Philadelphia Convention allowed a certain amount of participation in, and check of, the activities of one branch by the others. Thus, key presidential appointments have to be confirmed by a majority of the Senate, all legislation the President wishes ...