Branches of Government

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The United States federal government oversees the republic of fifty states, our nation’s Capital – Washington, D.C., and several other territories.

As laid out in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers, the federal government is made up of three branches. This is to ensure the separation of powers so that no one branch holds more power than the others, and that citizens’ rights are protected.

The three branches include the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, referred to collectively as Congress. Among its powers, the legislative branch makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce, and controls taxing and spending policies.

The executive branch consists of the President, his or her advisors, and various departments and agencies to which the President delegates power. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws established by Congress. (The President is also the commander-in-chief – the highest military rank.)

The judicial branch consists of the U.S. Supreme Court and its education and research agency, the Federal Judicial Center. The Supreme Court is made up of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Every justice is nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the United States Senate. The Supreme Court is responsible for explaining and applying laws passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. The Court does this by hearings and eventual rulings on various legal cases.