Constitutional Principles

The Fundamental Principles of the U.S. Constitution When the founding fathers organized the United States Constitution, they had established a document that would rule over a great nation for centuries to come. Therefore, several principles were constructed into the historical document to ensure that it would be effective in shaping the American political structure. Some of these principles include, Limited Government, Establishment of a republic, Federalism, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances. If these concepts had not been worked into the framework of our country, the United States would be very different than it is today. Although the Constitution was developed over two hundred years ago, it, with the several aforementioned …show more content…
government has its own defined duties and powers in accordance with the principle of separation of powers. The Executive branch consists of the president, vice president, cabinet, and the executive office of the president. The Executive branch has the power to make foreign treaties, as well as “recognize” foreign nations, propose and enforce laws, appoint Supreme Court justices, pardon people who are convicted in federal court, and act as the commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States. The Judicial branch contains the Supreme Court and is responsible for deciding the constitutionality of laws, reviewing lower court decisions, and deciding cases involving disputes between states. Finally, the Legislative branch, which includes Congress, has the power to pass federal laws, control federal appropriation, approve treaties and presidential appointments, regulate interstate commerce, and establish lower court …show more content…
In return, the legislative branch can override a presidential veto, impeach and remove the president, and reject a president’s appointments and treaties. When engaging in checking the power of the judicial branch, the president can nominate Supreme Court justices and federal judges, pardon those convicted in federal court, and refuse to enforce court decisions. Nevertheless, the judicial branch can declare executive actions unconstitutional and issue warrants. Some of the powers that the legislative branch has over the judicial include the power to change the size of the federal court system, propose constitutional amendments, and reject Supreme Court nominees. As a check on the powers of the legislative branch, the judicial branch may declare laws unconstitutional, and the chief justice may preside over a hearing to impeach the