Federalist 78
Definition
Federalist No. 78 is an essay written by Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers, explaining the power of the judiciary branch within the framework of checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution.
Analogy
Think of Federalist 78 as a user manual for a video game console. It explains how this particular 'console' (the Judiciary Branch) works within your gaming setup (the U.S. government), what its powers are, and how it interacts with other consoles (branches of government).
Related terms
Judicial Review: The power held by courts to review laws or governmental actions to determine whether they are constitutional.
Checks and Balances: A system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power.
Constitutional Law: The body of law which defines the relationship between different entities within a state, namely, the executive, legislature, and judiciary.
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