The judiciary is not the weakest branch of government because although the President nominates the Supreme Court justices, this person has limited influence on the judiciary. Although this situation might allow the executive branch of power to use the courts in its interests, the Supreme court members make their choices based on their principles. Moreover, since the Supreme Court analyzes the disputes that emerge in sophisticated and significant issues, it can influence various branches of power, and the executive branch’s role is limited.
The second factor that defines the strength of the judicial branch is the fact that it has the power to assess the actions of the executive and legislative institutions. For example, the court defines whether they act according to the law or if they transgress the law. In this case, if the justices determine that these institutions abuse their authority, they can nullify the latter’s decisions (Patterson, 2015). Since the power in the United States is divided not only between the branches of power but also between the institutions on the national and state level, the role of courts is essential. In particular, the court has more influence on various questions because it can determine where the responsibilities of one institution end and the authority of the other initiate.
The third strength of the judicial system in the United States concerns the fact that the justices are appointed for lifetime terms, and their number is small. There are nine justices in the United States Supreme Court, which signify that the limited number of people may influence the decisions when the precedents determine how future cases are treated (Krutz, 2017). Also, the extended terms that the justices hold their position make them even more potent because they can control all the issues happening in the country and make the decisions about the executive and legislative institutions’ actions.
References
Krutz, G. (2017). American government. Rice University.
Patterson, T. (2015). HARHKS1AT315-V002500 [Video].