Checks and balances refers to a system in which separate, powerful entities (like the three branches of the US government) check (monitor) the behavior of each other, having the effect of keeping an even balance of power. The phrase "checks and balances" was coined by Charles-Louis Montesquieu (a French political philosopher) in 1748; he also wrote about dividing the power of a government into a Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch.
system in which each branch of government has the ability to limit powers possessed by other branches.
Constitutional mechanisms that authorize each branch of government to share powers with the other branches and thereby check their activities. For example, the president may veto legislation passed by Congress, the Senate must confirm major executive appointments, and the courts may declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
a provision in the constitution of most democratic states that limits the power of one level of government by establishing powers at another level. In some states the power of the legislature is balanced by the constitutional powers of the head of state, senate, supreme court, or the requirement to subject legislation to the people in a referendum. States with no effective balance of power risk the development of totalitarian governments which can act with little restraint on their powers between elections. In Canada provincial governments have very few checks on their legislative powers.
A system of limits imposed on all branches of a government by vesting in each branch the right to amend or void those acts of another that fall within its purview.
A system whereby the different branches of government balance each other so that one branch does not gain too much power.
The ways in which each branch of government limits the powers of the other branches of government.
The system developed by the founders of the United States government whereby each branch of government has some measure of control over the other branches. | The veto power of the executive branch demonstrates the system of checks and balances that exist within government. [ Lesson 2
System set forth in the U.S. Constitution which divides governing power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. Each branch exercises some form of authority over the others, thereby balancing power across many individuals and institutions.
The system of dividing power among the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) to prevent any one from having too much power. Each branch has some authority to check the power of the others, thereby maintaining a balance among the three.
a system that gives each branch the means to restrain the powers of the other two.
the system by which the three branches of government (legislative, executive, judicial) stay within their designated boundaries. It is a system to ensure that no branch abuses its power.
the idea that in government the executive, legislative and judicial branches would systematically balance each other and that the government would be checked by the power of the individual states. (p. 696)
a term to describe the dispersal of political powers among branches of government so that no single one dominates the others. The desired result is that power is balanced and that the integrity of each institution remains intact.
a system of limits imposed on all branches of a government, giving each branch the power to change or void certain acts of the others. For example, the President can veto bills approved by Congress, and the President nominates individuals to serve on the federal Courts; the Supreme Court can declare a law enacted by Congress or an action by the President unconstitutional; and Congress passes new statutes that must be applied and enforced by the other two branches, and it can impeach the President and justices and judges of the federal Courts.
The Constitution contains ingenious devices of countervailing power. These checks on centralized power balance the authority of government between the co-equal branches of the presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court. This is sometimes called the separation of powers.