Our Government System of Checks and Balances Our

Our Government System of Checks and Balances

Our Government • The Executive Branch includes the President, the Vice President and Departments and Agencies • The Legislative branch includes the Senate and the House of Representatives • The Judicial Branch includes the Supreme Court

The Executive Branch • The President is the leader of the country and the commander-in-chief of the military • The Vice President is the President of the Senate and becomes President if the President can no longer do his job • The departments advise the President on issues and help carry out policy or provide special services to the people

The Judicial Branch • The Judicial Branch includes the federal court system with the Supreme Court as the highest court • Once the Supreme Court makes a decision, it can only be changed by another Supreme Court decision or by amending the Constitution • The Supreme Court is made up of nine Justices appointed by the President and approved by the Senate

The Legislative Branch • The U. S. Congress is made up of two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives • The primary duty of the Congress is to write, debate and pass bills, which are then passed on to the President for approval • Other powers of Congress include making laws about trade, taxes, money and war