Which scenario illustrates checks and balances?

• A. The President signs a bill into law.
• B. The President vetoes a bill; Congress overrides; the courts can strike down laws.
• C. The Supreme Court vetoes laws.
• D. The President signs any bill into law without Congress.

Answer: (B)

Checks and balances means each branch of government can limit the powers of the others to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. In this scenario, the President vetoes a bill, and Congress can override that veto with a sufficient majority, showing Congress checking the President. At the same time, the courts can strike down laws that don’t align with the Constitution, providing a judicial check on both the legislative and executive branches. This combination illustrates how different branches constrain each other. The other options don’t show this inter-branch interaction: signing a bill into law doesn’t reveal a balancing act with another branch, the idea that the Supreme Court vetoes laws isn’t accurate (they strike them down if unconstitutional), and signing any bill into law without Congress ignores the legislative check.