explain seperation of power?

Answer 1

At the time the American Constitution was being drawn up, the Founding Fathers wanted to avoid giving any one person too much power--in other words, they didn't want to create another monarchy. Dividing the powers of government among three branches--the executive, where 1 guy (President) is in control; the legislative, where an elected body (Representatives and Senators) are in control; and the judicial, where a combination of elected and appointed judges are in control. The basic plan is that the legislative branch will make the laws; the executive branch is in charge of seeing that the laws are carried out; and, if problems arise with any given law, the judicial branch can determine whether the laws adhere to the restrictions of the Constitution, or whether the law needs to be changed or thrown out.

That's all very simplified, but it should be enough to answer a homework question that's really pretty easy.

Answer 2

Separation of powers is a doctrine whereby the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of government are vested in and exercised by three independent bodies or departments. This is to ensure that no department encroaches upon the duties and powers of the other departments. However, for this to be an effective distribution of power and to maintain balance in government, mechanisms for checks and balances are usually established where the departments are given enough authority to check and counter the acts of each other when necessary so that no one department will be allowed to abuse the powers granted to it.

Answer 3

A system of govenment in which there are multiple seperate but equal parts to prevent any one body of the government form gaining complete control.

this means checks and balances. the president can veto a law from congress, congress can overrule the veto with two thirds majority vote. the supreme court can nullify a law if it is unconstitutional. courts interprut laws as they feel they are written and not always how they where meant to be used, congress can then repeal a law or amend it to change it back to what they want it to be. and the president can veto the changes to a law if he chooses. it is the job of congress to make laws, the job of the president to enforce laws, and the job of the courts to interprut laws.

I may have just confused the heck out of you....if so Sorry.

Answer 4

Very simply - it means that each branch of the government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) is given certain powers by the Constitution. For example, the only body in government that is supposed to be able to declare war is Congress. However, presidents are able to get around this requirement vis-a-vis the War Powers Act, which grants the President the authority to wage war as the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces.

According to wikipedia, the branches are divided this way:

Legislative (Congress):
* Power to write laws
* Power to enact taxes, authorize borrowing, and set the budget
* Usually the sole power to declare war
* Power to start investigations, especially against the executive branch
* Often appoints the heads of the executive branch
* Sometimes appoints judges
* Power to approve treaties

Executive (President):

* The president may sometimes veto laws
* Sometimes may refuse to enforce certain laws (risking impeachment by the parliament)
* May refuse to spend money allocated for certain purposes
* Power to wage war (operational command of the military)
* Responsibility for making declarations (for example, declaring a state of emergency) and promulgating lawful regulations and executive orders
* Often appoints judges
* Sometimes power to grant pardons to convicted criminals

Judicial:

* Determines which laws apply to any given case
* Sole power to interpret the law and apply it to particular disputes
* May sometimes nullify laws that conflict with a more important law or constitution
* Power to determine the disposition of prisoners
* Power to compel testimony and the production of documents
* The appeals process enforces uniform policies in a top-down fashion, but gives discretion in individual cases to low-level judges (The amount of discretion depends upon the standard of review, determined by the type of case being reviewed.)
* May only rule in cases of an actual dispute brought between actual petitioners
* Polices its own members
* Frequently immune to arbitrary dismissal by other branches

HTH,

Bob Nielsen

(Yahoo ID knightryder316)

Answer 5

You have the executive the judicial and the legislative branch so no branch can have too much power

Answer 6

First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the woman.