Glossary

Checks and balances

The constitutional design giving each branch of government ways to limit the others, so that no branch dominates.

Also called: system of checks and balances

Checks and balances are the specific tools the Constitution gives each branch to restrain the others. Where separation of powers divides power, checks and balances make the divided branches depend on and watch one another.

Examples include the president's veto and Congress's ability to override it; the Senate's role of advice and consent for treaties and appointments; Congress's power of the purse and its power of impeachment; the president's power to appoint judges and grant pardons; and the courts' power of judicial review. Bicameralism, with a House and Senate chosen differently, is itself a check, and federalism adds another layer by dividing power between national and state governments.

Madison explained the logic in Federalist No. 51: ambition must be made to counteract ambition. Debates about gridlock, government shutdowns, executive orders, nationwide injunctions and the filibuster are, at bottom, debates about whether the checks are working as intended or have become too weak or too strong. Each party tends to value different checks depending on which branches it controls.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Separation of powers The constitutional division of government into legislative, executive and judicial branches, each with its own distinct powers. Veto The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress by returning it unsigned with objections. Impeachment The constitutional process by which the House charges a federal official with misconduct and the Senate tries the charges. Judicial review The power of courts to strike down laws and government actions that conflict with the Constitution. Advice and consent The Senate's constitutional role in approving the president's treaties and major appointments.