What principle ensures that legislative, executive, and judicial powers are separated into three distinct branches?

The principle that ensures legislative, executive, and judicial powers are separated into three distinct branches is known as Separation of Powers. This doctrine was designed to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful and to create a system of governance where each branch has its own responsibilities and functions.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution were influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like Montesquieu, who argued that the accumulation of power in any one entity could lead to tyranny. By establishing a government structure that divides power among the legislative (responsible for making laws), executive (responsible for enforcing laws), and judicial (responsible for interpreting laws) branches, the Constitution promotes a balance that protects individual liberties and ensures accountability.

This separation allows each branch to operate independently and provides mechanisms for oversight and control between them. For instance, the legislative branch can create laws, but the executive branch has the power to veto those laws, and the judicial branch can declare laws unconstitutional, thereby safeguarding the rule of law and maintaining a check on governmental power.

Understanding this principle is foundational to grasping how the United States government functions and the safeguards it employs to maintain democracy.