Checks and Balances

1. Checks and Balances

2. What is the system of checks and balances and how does it affect our government (focusing on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches)? Guiding Question of the day?

3. Standard Government .4c: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the Constitution of the United States of America by c) examining the fundamental principles upon which the Constitution is based, including the rule of law, consent of the governed, limited government, separation of powers, and federalism • NCSS Theme number six: Power, authority, and Governance S.O.L. and NCSS standards being addressed

4. With the Wordle provided, which contains words from the definition of checks and balances, and your prior knowledge of the term, come up with a definition of checks and balances. Just Do It

5. Definition: System of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others • Each branch is subject to a number of constitutional restraints by the other branches Checks and Balances

6. Judicial Branch Legislative Branch • President appoints Supreme Court justices and other federal judges • President may veto legislation • May call special sessions • Recommend legislation Executive Checks on:

7. Executive Branch Judicial Branch • May override veto with 2/3 vote • May remove President through impeachment • Senate approves treaties & presidential appointments • Senate approves or rejects appointment of judges • May remove judges through impeachment • Congress creates lower courts Legislative checks on:

8. Executive Branch Legislative Branch • Courts may declare executive actions to be unconstitutional • Judges are appointed for life, free from executive control • May declare acts of Congress to be unconstitutional Judicial checks on:

9. During each round a branch of government will try to make an unconstitutional act of power • It is the remaining two branches responsibility to check that branch and determine what Article, Section, and Clause (including amendments) of the Constitution make that action unconstitutional Power Grab Game

10. For example: • Because of the large national debt, the Supreme court decides it is now their responsibility to determine which countries we borrow money from. • Which article, section, and clause make this act unconstitutional? • Article 1, Section 8, Clause 2 grants the Legislative branch the right to borrow money on the credit of the United States

11. Throughout this game think about how the system of checks and balances functions to protect individual citizens of the United States.