What mechanism helps to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

The mechanism that helps to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful is checks and balances. This system is embedded in the U.S. Constitution and ensures that each of the three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—has some measure of influence over the other branches and may choose to block procedures of the other branches. For example, while Congress has the power to make laws, the President has the authority to veto legislation, which Congress can override only with a supermajority. Similarly, the judiciary can rule laws or executive actions unconstitutional, thereby limiting the powers of the other branches. This interconnected system of governance maintains a balance, preventing any single branch from exercising unchecked power and ensuring that government remains accountable to the people.

Options like federalism deal more with the distribution of power between national and state governments rather than within the branches of national government. Separation of church and state pertains to maintaining a distance between religious institutions and government activities. Judicial review, while important for interpreting the Constitution and checking the powers of Congress and the President, is one part of the broader system supported by checks and balances, rather than a standalone mechanism.