The Supreme Court's Role in U.S. National Government
The Constitution created a government of separate powers. Each branch of the government is responsible for exercising different governmental powers and may not encroach upon each other. However, this separation was not intended to be so rigid that the government could not function. The framers recognized that a government could be too divided in authority, leading to inefficiency and even the destruction of personal liberties.
The framers were also influenced by the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation. The national government under that scheme had proved ineffectual. Consequently, they wanted to avoid a weak national government. A rigid separation of powers would have resulted in a weak government and a situation unimproved over the Articles of Confederation. They also wanted to avert the growing powers of the state governments, who often refused to work with each other.
The compromise they came up with was a balance of powers doctrine. This doctrine allowed for some overlap of powers between the branches. The reason for this was to enable each of the powers to act as a check on the other branches. Powers do not overlap in the literal sense, but each of the powers has the ability limit the powers of the others in a certain fashion. For instance, a President can be impeached by the Senate. And a bill can only be enacted if the President signs it or Congress has enough votes to override a Presidential veto.
The role of the Supreme Court in maintaining the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances is a unique one. Conflicts over the exercise of power ultimately end before the Court, which has the power to resolve the conflicts. The legislative and executive branches must bow to the decisions of the Court. With the power to interpret the Constitution, the Court has the power to determine the limits of...