The National Archives website features a lesson plan about the separation of powers on a federal and state level that revolves around a history of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s court packing during the 1930s. It includes background information on the time period, as well as a primary source document in which a newspaper publisher warns that FDR’s actions may lead to “absolutism and complete dictatorial power.” The website also features a document analysis worksheet and teaching activities.

Michael Barone is a journalist, political analyst, and senior writer for U.S. News & World Report. He also serves as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In this video, he discusses how the U.S. founders' ideologies differed from…

In a speech before the American Law Institute, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, Jr. discusses the importance of an impartial judiciary. An impartial judiciary is both independent from other branches of government and unswayed by…

This panel discussion at Georgetown Law School highlights the importance of an independent judicial branch. The U.S. constitution legislated a judicial branch that was free from influence by the executive branch and the legislative branch of…