Branch of government that makes the law

The role of the executive branch is to enforce the nation’s laws. The executive branch is led by the president, who is the commander in chief of the military and responsible for signing or vetoing laws presented to them by Congress. The executive branch also includes the vice president, who is the president of the Senate and will take over if the president cannot perform his duties, as well as the Cabinet, who are advisors to the president. The enforcement of laws in the executive branch is often performed by various federal agencies and departments.       

The website for the Office of the President of the United States contains a great deal of information on the current executives.

A White House publication on the executive branch includes information on the responsibilities of the president and vice president, the role of the Cabinet, and descriptions of the executive departments.

The American Presidency Project, hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara, includes presidential papers, addresses, speeches, and more.

The Federal Register provides a database that contains information on presidential documents, including executive orders, proclamations, and other items.

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QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

Words nearby branches of government

branch cut, branched chain, branched chain ketoaciduria, brancher deficiency amylopectinosis, brancher enzyme, branches of government, branchi-, branchia, branchial, branchial arch, branchial cell

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

MORE ABOUT BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

What are the branches of government?

The branches of government are the three divisions that make up the federal government and the state governments in the United States.

In the United States, the Constitution specifically separates the federal government into three distinct divisions, or branches. This is to ensure that all of the power would not belong to a single person or group. Instead it is divided among the different branches. The three branches of government are the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.

The legislative branch is responsible for creating laws. Federally, the legislative branch is  Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the laws. Federally, the executive branch is led by the president. Other members of the executive branch include the vice president, the Cabinet, and all of the employees of federal departments that are part of the executive branch, such as the CIA, the FBI, and the post office. The United States military is also considered part of the executive branch.

The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the laws. Federally, the judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and the other federal courts.

While the Constitution only establishes branches of government at the national level, all 50 states have also divided their state governments into the same three branches of government through their state constitutions. At the state level, the executive branches are led by governors, the legislative branches are made of elected state legislatures, and the judicial branches take the form of state supreme courts and other state courts.

Why are branches of government important?

The three branches of government are outlined and assigned their duties in the first three articles of the Constitution. Article I established the legislative branch, Article II established the executive branch, and Article III established the judicial branch.

When establishing the three branches of government, the Constitution also gave each branch certain powers that would keep the power of the other two in check. This idea is known as separation of powers. For example, only Congress has the power to pass laws, but the president has the power to veto them and the Supreme Court has the power to declare them unconstitutional.

Unlike the federal and state government, local (municipal) governments aren’t divided into branches. Most cities and counties are run by mayors, city councils, or county commissioners who must obey state law.

Did you know ... ?

Although the branches of government seem simple enough, they often have a large number of responsibilities. The executive branch alone employs millions of people!

What are real-life examples of branches of government?

This infographic shows the three branches of government that make up the federal government of the United States.

Branch of government that makes the law

USA.gov

Most Americans are familiar with the branches of government and what their general duties are.

SCOTUS considers saving Trump from the fact that his own lawyers went to court to block the tax return subpoenas. If the “political question” doctrine applies — because this is a fight between branches of government — the courts won’t enforce the subpoenas.

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) April 27, 2020

Kids shouldn’t leave high school with out understanding the importance of voting, our three branches of government, and the impact of local government.

— Aarika Rhodes 🍎🦉🧢 (@AarikaRhodes) November 2, 2020

Quiz yourself!

Which of the following is NOT one of the branches of government in the United States?

A. judicial
B. executive
C. administrative
D. legislative

How to use branches of government in a sentence

  • A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.

  • Not actual CIA agents, but U.S. government personnel who have worked very closely with the CIA, and who are fans of the show.

  • I think the response of the French government so far has been pretty appropriate in that regard.

  • The United States government might not release that information for years, if ever.

  • But most likely it was linked to the way priests identify with the poor in the face of government and criminal abuses.

  • To Harrison and his wife there was no distinction between the executive and judicial branches of the law.

  • With the dispersal of the spores the cone shrivels up, and then the stems starts to send out green branches.

  • Sometimes in the case of large plants, cones have been known to occur on the tips of the branches of the Marsh Horsetail.

  • Dockier, a prominent leader of the Levelers, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.

  • Sometimes the stems are quite bare; on other occasions they are partly branched; in any case the branches are short.