What system does the U.S. government use to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful?

The U.S. government employs a system of checks and balances to ensure that no single branch—executive, legislative, or judicial—can dominate or exert excessive power over the others. This framework is designed to maintain a balance among the branches, enabling each to monitor and limit the actions of the others. For instance, while the legislative branch can create laws, the executive branch holds the power to veto those laws, and the judicial branch can interpret them and deem them unconstitutional if they overstep legal bounds. This interdependence and mutual oversight foster accountability within the government, ensuring that citizens’ rights and liberties are safeguarded against potential abuse by any single branch.

In contrast, separation of powers refers to the division of government responsibilities among the three branches, which is distinct from how they interact and monitor one another. Additionally, direct democracy is a system where citizens directly participate in decision-making, which is not a structural feature of the U.S. government. Lastly, federalism describes the division of power between national and state governments rather than the balance of power among the branches at the national level. Each of these alternatives highlights different facets of governance but does not specifically address the mechanism of mutual regulation that checks and balances provides.