Checks and Balances

• Congress on the President

  • Veto override
  • Power of the purse
  • Declare war
  • Impeachment of president
  • Ratify treaties (only in senate)
  • Ratify appointments (only senate)
• Congress on Supreme Court

  • Impeachment of justices
  • Ratify judicial appointments
  • Propose amendments
  • Create lower courts
• President on congress

  • Veto/sign legislation
  • Commander in chief
• President on Supreme Court

  • Pardons
  • Nominations of judicial appointments
• Supreme Court on congress

  • Judicial review
• Supreme Court on president

  • Judicial review
• Examples

  • Of George W Bush 12 vetos, 4 were overridden and attempts were made to override a further 6 more
  • Merrick Garland rejected by senate
  • Obama used his veto 12 times
  • Obama granted 330 pardons to non violent drug offenders
  • Trump appointed Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Coney-Barrett
  • Judicial review was set up in Marbury v Madison (1803) and has been used in Obegefell v Hodges (2015)