The three branches of the federal government are the legislative, executive, and judicial branch. The executive branch consists of the president, vice president, and about 5 million workers (“Three,” n.d.). The president is elected by U.S. citizens, 18 years and older, who vote in their states (“Three,” n.d.). The president is selected by the Electoral College and not by popular vote. Therefore, a candidate can win the popular vote and still lose the presidency (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 86). The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the laws that Congress makes (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 86).
The legislative branch (Congress) makes federal law (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 86). Congress is divided into two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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For instance, the executive branch has the power to veto bills passed by Congress. After the president vetoes a bill, it is sent back to Congress where a two-thirds vote from the Senate and the House of Representative is required to override the veto (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 87). The first successful override of a bill was in 1845, “when Congress overrode President John Tyler’s veto of S. 66” (“Presidential, n.d.”). The executive branch also has the power to enter into treaties with foreign governments, but only with the consent and advice of the Senate (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 86). Another example of checks and balances, is the judicial branch’s authority to examine the laws of the other branches and determine whether they are constitutional, a concept known as Judicial Review (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 86). For instance, in 1990 Margaret Gilleo placed a sign in her yard protesting the Gulf War. The city of Ladue, Missouri (which Gilleo resided in) called for her to remove the sign because it violated the city’s law against yard signs (“The Power,” n.d.). Margaret Gilleo sued the city, and the case was eventually heard before U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the lower courts that Laude’s law was unconstitutional and violated Gilleo’s freedom of speech, in the case of Ladue v. Gilleo, 1994 (“The Power,”