Separation of Powers

Separation
of Powers:
The Three
Branches of
Government

The U.S. Capitol Building The Georgia Capitol Building

Congress - The House of General Assembly - The House of
Representatives and the Senate Representatives and the Senate

The Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch

MAKES THE LAWS MAKES THE LAWS

The Legislative Branch does the following:

1. MAKES the Laws. This means that they create bills that are voted on by all
the members of Congress, or the General Assembly, and signed by the
President, or Governor, and become laws of the U.S. or Georgia.

2. Oversees other government agencies, i.e. FBI or GBI, to make sure they are
running properly and according to law.

3. Produce the Budget. This means they decide how to spend all that tax
money in order to run the government.

4. Approve high ranking government officials, i.e. Head of Education, and
Judges, i.e. Supreme Court Justices.

Legislative Branch Video

The White House The Georgia Capitol Building
Home and Office of the President Office of the Governor
The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch ENFORCES THE LAWS
ENFORCES THE LAWS

The Executive Branch does the following:

1. ENFORCES the Laws. The President is in charge of the FBI and the Justice
Department and they are the police prosecutors of Federal law. Georgia’s
Governor is in charge of the GBI.

2. Commander in Chief of the Military or State Guard.

3. Signs the Budget. This means the President or Governor has to agree with
the budget the Legislative Branch passed.

4. Appoints high ranking government officials, i.e. Secretary of State, and
Judges, i.e. Supreme Court Justices.

Executive Branch Video

The U.S. Supreme Court The Georgia Supreme Court
Court of the Nine Justices Court of the Nine Justices
The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch INTERPRETS THE LAWS
INTERPRETS THE LAWS

The Judicial Branch does the following:
1. INTERPRETS the Laws. The Supreme Court ensures that all laws, Federal
and State, are Constitutional. For example, they decided that Plessy v.
Ferguson violated the 14th Amendment.
2. Hears Appeals from lesser courts. They decide if a lesser court made that
right decision in their verdict.

Judicial Branch Video