Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances
The constitutional principle that power is divided between three independent branches of government — Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court — each of which can check and limit the others.
Real World
When Trump was impeached by the House in 2019 and 2021 but acquitted by the Senate both times, it demonstrated checks and balances in action — the legislature checking the executive, but also the limits of those checks without bipartisan support.
Exam Focus
Structure answers around specific examples of each branch checking another; avoid the common mistake of describing powers without explaining how they constrain the other branches.
How well did you know this?