Government power in the US is a swirl of checks and balances, as a recent Supreme Court ruling shows

NEW YORK (AP) — The delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention were trying to create a new governing framework for the fledging United States of America. They knew they needed SOMEONE to be at the helm of the federal government.

Someone had to be in position to see that the laws legislated by Congress “be faithfully executed,” to make treaties, to be the military’s commander-in-chief, to preside over the nation. You know, a president.

But they didn’t want to risk creating a new autocrat. After all, they had just fought a war to get away from one. Many of the fundamental responsibilities — making laws, collecting taxes, declaring war — were put under the purview of Congress, itself split into two chambers as a way to manage authority among the states. The federal judiciary, the Supreme Court, was also made independent. The powers would be balanced.

Where something starts, though, isn’t always where it stays, as America’s history since the convention that created the U.S. Constitution shows. Through the centuries, as the country expanded from 13 states to 50, as the roles and responsibilities of government expanded through wars and social change and changing global realities, the powers that the branches of government pushed to have for themselves and in relation to each other have made checks and balances a moving target.

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