The Constitution
checks and balances
The mechanisms letting each branch limit the others: the veto and override, confirmation, impeachment, judicial review, and the power of the purse.
In full
Separation of powers divides authority; checks and balances give each branch tools to resist the others. The design assumes ambition will counteract ambition, meaning it depends on officeholders defending their institution's prerogatives. When party loyalty runs stronger than institutional loyalty, the checks weaken without any formal change to the text.
Where to go next
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Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.