What is the significance of the system of checks and balances

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See more words from the same year. Accessed 11 Nov. More Definitions for checks and balances. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of checks and balances. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone , 26 Oct. Wolf, CNN , 20 Oct. Lawyers then make arguments for and against the case, and a judge decides which side has presented the most convincing arguments.

The side that loses can choose to appeal to a higher court, and may eventually reach the highest court of all, the Supreme Court. If the legislative branch does not agree with the way in which the judicial branch has interpreted the law, they can introduce a new piece of legislation, and the process starts all over again.

Updated August 30, Infoplease Staff. See also:. Federalist No. Trending Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about. Is Vatican City a Country? The Languages of Africa. Constitution provides checks and balances for the U. The Constitution gave specific abilities to each one of these three branches to ensure that no one section of the government could obtain excessive unchecked power.

Checks and balances are practiced by the U. First, the legislative branch is the part of the government that makes laws, but the executive branch gives veto power to the president, allowing the president to keep the legislative branch in check. In addition, the judicial branch, the part of the government that interprets the laws put into effect by the legislative branch, can deem certain laws unconstitutional making them void.

Moreover, while the president has veto power, the legislative branch can overturn a president's veto with a two-thirds " supermajority " vote by both houses of Congress. This ensures that the president cannot use his power for personal gain. The executive branch can also declare executive orders, effectively proclaiming how certain laws should be enforced, but the judicial branch can deem these orders to be unconstitutional. However, executive orders are often declared for the benefit of the country and are rarely considered unconstitutional.

For example, on Apr. In another example of executive power, President Trump declared a national emergency on Feb. The White House. Fiscal Policy. Federal Reserve. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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