What are the duties and responsibilities of each branch of government?

The government
of the US is divided into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the
judicial.

Congress is the legislative branch, and it is bicameral: its two
components are the House of Representatives and the Senate. They are chosen by voters to serve
two-year and six-year terms, respectively. Laws are made by Congress. Impeachment of the
president starts in the House and ends in the Senate. A two-thirds majority in the Senate is
needed to impeach a President or approve treaties.

The Presidency is the
executive branch of the government. Presidents are elected to four-year terms and may serve only
two terms. Presidents, unlike the Congress, are not chosen directly by the people. Instead, they
are selected by the Electoral College. This is problematic because the Electoral College
sometimes overrides the peoples' choice, as in 2000 and 2016. Gridlock occurs when the
presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties. Presidents command the armed
forces.

The judiciary branch consists of the Supreme Court and an extensive
system of lower courts. The Constitution did not explicitly list the powers and duties of the
judiciary branch. John Marshall (1755€“1835), the fourth chief justice, was instrumental in
making the judiciary branch the equal of the other two branches. He did this by establishing the
principle of judicial review. In other words, the Supreme Court has the final say in determining
the constitutionality of any law in the country.