Summary
Summary Checks and Balances US essay plan
- Course
- Institution
essay plan on checks and balances - including PAIRED ARGUMENTS (vital for an A* in politics)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
sophieallsop97
Content preview
Plan: “Evaluate the extent to which checks and balances ensure effective government.”Introduction
Checks and balances ensure a level of scrutiny an accountability for each government branch (executive,
legislative and judiciary). They also ensure that each branch is carrying out the correct role and doing this
effectively and fairly.
Thesis: checks and balances cannot truly ensure an effective government as Richard Neustadt has argued
that they didn't manage this rather it created a government of separated institutions 'sharing powers'
There are few truly separated powers in the constitution that just one branch can exercise alone.
Many of their powers required two branches to act together in order to exercise them.
Highlight which C&B works well and were it doesn’t work as well.
Point 1 Checks on congress by the president can be easy to get round by executive order. Making this
check and balance on the president often ineffective on the procedure of govt. C&B working badly
Example President can get around this by executive order - can make a declaration which allows him to do
what he wants
Explain Obama singed Paris accord by executive order, Trump then revoked it by executive order -
weakness. Biden uses executive order again
In the context of treaties - undermines it, countries are not confident in America, as they
could just leave.
Example However, executive orders can be declined, ensuring some level of control and accountability over
the president
Explain Cannot allocate more resources to something as it has to go through the budget which is
signed off by the HOR
Cannot if its already in existing policy or job role of an institution
Can only do it if it is redirecting policy focus.
Example - Trump attempted to ban immigration visitors from a host of predominantly
Muslim countries (arguably had a mandate for it as it was in his manifesto), but there was
already border police and they already had funding and rules/regulations in place. Executive
order 13769 - 'the Muslim ban'
Judgement Therefore, whilst executive orders can undermine the importance of checks and balances on the
president, there are some restrictions that create a level of control over what he can do.
Point 2 Checks by congress on the supreme court – C&B working well
Example Impeachment of justices
Explain The process for impeaching justices (lower federal courts) is the same as it is for a president
Example - only happened once for Samuel Chase being found not guilty of being partisan in
rulings in 1805
Samuel Kent resigned before a verdict was reached in 2009
Example Ratification of judicial appointments
Explain Senate only - presidential nominations to the supreme court have a huge impact on the
ideological makeup of the court.
President will choose a nomination close to their ideological beliefs and may change the
belief of the court overall.
While this doesn't directly affect the power of the court, by allowing or refusing justices on
to the court, the senate can ensure justices ware suitably qualified and look to ensure or
change the ideological balance of the court.
Example - when Antonin Scalia died in 2016, among the reasons that the senate did not
ratify his proposed replacement (Merrick Garland) was their ideological difference - Scalia
was a staunch conservative while Garland was a centrist. The ideological balance of the court
is crucial to the rulings it is likely to give.
Judgement Here checks and balances work sufficiently (contrast from last paragraph)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller sophieallsop97. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.40. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
81113 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now