Concepts of The Constitution

There are many concepts that make our Constitution a “living document”. These concepts include Checks and Balances, the Elastic Clause, and the Amendment Process. Checks and Balances is a key concept in our government today. It can be found among Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution. By definition, checks and balances is a governmental organizational structure whereby powers of one branch of government stop, approve, and generally limit the powers of the other branches. For example, the Executive Branch (the President) has the power to veto bills passed by congress, and can propose new bills. The Legislative Branch (Congress) has the power to override the President’s veto, and is able to impeach the President in office. The House of Representatives can control the President’s budget, while the Senate offers advice and consent. The Legislative Branch can also impeach or remove federal judges, and establish courts in the Judicial Branch (the courts). Finally, the Judicial Branch has the power to declare executive orders unconstitutional, as well as declare laws controlled by Congress unconstitutional (W14a). The Elastic Clause is a very important part of the Constitution that pertains to Congress (the Legislative Branch). It is found in Article I, Section 8, clause 18. As stated in the Constitution, the Elastic Clause can “make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Office thereof” (W14b). This clause, which is also known as the Necessary and Proper Clause, gives the Constitution flexibility (A14b). The main reason why our Constitution is still in place today is mainly due to the Amendment Process. It is located in Article V of the Constitution, and completely changes the Constitution. The Constitution clearly says “the Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it