The Constitution
advice and consent
The Senate's shared role in appointments and treaties: nominations need a Senate majority; treaties need two-thirds.
In full
Article II makes the biggest executive acts joint ones. The President nominates principal officers, ambassadors, and judges, but only Senate confirmation seats them; the President negotiates treaties, but two-thirds of senators present must consent to ratification. Congress may vest appointment of 'inferior' officers in the President alone, courts, or department heads, the line the Appointments Clause cases fight over.
Also written as: confirmation
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.