United States

=== National government ===
{{Main|Federal government of the United States}}
Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the [[federal government of the United States|federal government]] is the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of [[checks and balances]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Killian, Johnny H. Ed|title=Constitution of the United States |url=https://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm |access-date=February 11, 2012 |publisher=The Office of the Secretary of the Senate}}</ref>
* The [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], a [[bicameral legislature]], made up of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], makes [[federal law]], [[declaration of war|declares war]], approves treaties, has the [[power of the purse]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Legislative Branch|publisher=United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany|url=https://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012}}</ref> and has [[Impeachment in the United States|the power of impeachment]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Process for impeachment|publisher=ThinkQuest|url=https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012|archive-date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408102119/https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|url-status=dead }}</ref> The Senate has 100 members (2 from each state), elected for a six-year term. The House of Representatives has 435 members from single member [[List of United States congressional districts|congressional districts]] allocated to each state on the basis of population, elected for a two-year term.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Senate and the House of Representatives: lesson overview (article) |url=https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-interactions-among-branches/us-gov-congress-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives/a/lesson-summary-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives |website=Khan Academy |language=en}}</ref>
* The U.S. president is the [[commander-in-chief]] of the military, can veto [[bill (law)|legislative bills]] before they become law (subject to congressional override), and appoints the [[Cabinet of the United States|members of the Cabinet]] (subject to Senate approval) and other officials, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies through their respective [[List of federal agencies in the United States|agencies]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Executive Branch|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/|website=The White House|access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> The president and the vice president run and are elected together in a presidential election. Unlike any others in American politics, it is an [[indirect election]], with the winner being determined by votes cast by electors of the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]]. The President and Vice President serve a four-year term and may be elected to the office [[Term limits in the United States|no more than twice]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Interpretation: Article II, Section 1, Clauses 2 and 3 {{!}} Constitution Center |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/350 |website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |language=en}}</ref>
* The [[Federal judiciary of the United States|U.S. federal judiciary]], whose judges are all appointed for life by the President with Senate approval, consists primarily of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States courts of appeals|U.S. courts of appeals]], and the [[United States district court|U.S. district courts]]. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets laws and overturn those they find [[constitutionality|unconstitutional]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Kermit L.|last1=Hall|first2=Kevin T.|last2=McGuire|title=Institutions of American Democracy: The Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rWCaMAdUzgC|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-988374-5}}<br />{{cite book|author=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|title=Learn about the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8X1CzvBXHksC&pg=PA4|date=2013|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-091708-0|page=4}}<br />{{cite book|first=Bryon|last=Giddens-White|title=The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbZw3bJsWtUC|year=2005|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4034-6608-2}}<br />{{cite book|first=Charles L.|last=Zelden|title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics|url=https://archive.org/details/judicialbranchof0000zeld|url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-702-9|access-date=October 25, 2015}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts.aspx|title=Federal Courts|author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. -->|publisher=United States Courts|access-date=October 19, 2014}}</ref> The Supreme Court is led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States]]. It has nine members who serve for life. The members are appointed by the sitting president when a vacancy becomes available.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beyond politics: Why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life|first=Roger|last=Cossack|url=https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12/|publisher=CNN|date=July 13, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712085825/https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12|archive-date=July 12, 2012 }}</ref>

The three-branch system is known as the [[presidential system]], in contrast to the [[parliamentary system]], where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world copied this aspect of the 1789 [[Constitution of the United States]], especially in the Americas.<ref name="Sundquist">{{Cite book |last=Sundquist |first=James L. |title=Designs for Democratic Stability: Studies in Viable Constitutionalism |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1997 |isbn=0765600528 |editor-last=Baaklini |editor-first=Abdo I. |pages=53–72 |language=en |chapter=The U.S. Presidential System as a Model for the World |editor-last2=Desfosses |editor-first2=Helen}}</ref>