What is a current event example that illustrates the power of one branch of government to check another?
Here's one:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0202/Supreme-Court-s-campaign-finance-ruling-just-the-facts
Congress is making noise about cutting from the budget any funds for terrorism trials in civil courts.
Thank you both! This will help!
A current event example that illustrates the power of one branch of government to check another is the impeachment of former United States President Donald Trump in 2021.
To understand how this event showcases the power of one branch of government to check another, we first need to grasp the basic concept of checks and balances in the United States government. The U.S. government is divided into three separate branches: the executive branch (headed by the President), the legislative branch (consisting of Congress), and the judicial branch (led by the Supreme Court). Each branch has specific powers to ensure that no branch becomes too powerful.
In this case, the legislative branch, specifically the House of Representatives, impeached President Trump on charges of incitement of insurrection following the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Impeachment is the constitutional process through which Congress can hold a President accountable for "high crimes and misdemeanors."
By impeaching the President, the House of Representatives exercised its power to check the executive branch. This act demonstrated the authority of Congress to hold the President accountable for his actions, even though Trump was no longer in office at the time of his impeachment. It also exemplifies the checks and balances system, as the legislative branch took action to check the power of the executive branch.
After the House impeached President Trump, the case was sent to the Senate for a trial. However, as of the writing of this response, the Senate has not yet reached a final verdict in the trial. Nonetheless, this example vividly underscores the power of one branch of government to check another and highlights the mechanisms in place to ensure a balance of power within the U.S. government.