Separation of powers
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Civics
Definition
Dividing government into branches so no one part is too powerful.
Separation of powers in plain English
Imagine one person being the referee, the coach, AND the scorekeeper of a game. That is dangerous, because they could cheat and no one could stop them. Separation of powers is America's fix: the government is split into three parts. Congress makes the laws, the President carries them out, and the courts decide what the laws mean. Because each part does a different job, no single one can grab all the power for itself.
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