History
Checks and Balances
Quick fact
The idea of checks and balances was formalised by French philosopher Montesquieu in his 1748 work 'The Spirit of the Laws', and later directly influenced the drafting of the United States Constitution.
Why this is interesting
Why can't a president simply ignore the law or a court's ruling? The answer lies in a clever design called checks and balances—a system where each branch of government holds a piece of the puzzle, and no single piece completes the picture alone.