2. Administration Involved /
Background Info…
President Nixon in charge
Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger
The 93rd Congress; 2nd session (1)
People Involved: Congress, Nixon, Supreme Court,
House of Representatives
During 1974, at Washington D.C.
Nixon appeared to be covering up the Watergate
burglary
3. Possible Checks
Congress could have overrode any of the President’s
vetos
The Congress could have stopped all of the
Presidential appointments
Stopped interaction
They could have changed Nixon’s spending budget
to almost nothing
Wouldn’t allow any payments on things that might
harm the country
4. Check Actually used…
Nixon was in the process of being impeached
The impeachment was approved by the Supreme
Court
Was being voted on in the House of Representatives
Nixon resigned before it could pass (2)
The Legislative Branch was checking the Executive
Branch
This check was used because Nixon had a lot of
power, and was not using his power to be a good
president
5. Did the Check Work?
It did, and did not work at the
same time
Did not work
Nixon resigned before the
impeachment took place,
therefore was not officially
impeached (3)
Did work
Nixon saw the threat of being
impeached, and resigned which
was what was wanted all along
Legislative Branch had more power than Executive
Took out the entire Executive Branch
6. Legacy of the Action
Soon after the resignation, Ford became President
Didn’t change the power levels
All watched over each other
7. Endnotes
1) "Years and Session Dates of the U.S. Congress." GPO Access Home Page.
Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gpoaccess.gov/help/congress_table.html>.
2) "Richard Nixon's Resignation." Hiawatha Broadband Communications, Inc. |
Office Numbers: Winona 507.474.4000 • St. Charles 507.932.8000 • Wabasha
651.560.4000 • Toll Free 888.474.9995. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.hbci.com/~tgort/resign.htm>.
3) "Nixon's Resignation Letter." Watergate.info - The Scandal That Destroyed
President Richard Nixon. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.watergate.info/nixon/resignation-letter.shtml>.
8. Bibliography
"Impeachment Is Ultimate Legislative Check on Executive Power." America - Engaging
the World - America.gov. 30 Jan. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.america.gov/st/usg-
english/2009/January/20090130171057hmnietsua0.6104395.html>.
"Articles of Impeachment." Watergate.info - The Scandal That Destroyed President
Richard Nixon. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.watergate.info/impeachment/impeachment-articles.shtml>.
"Impeachment: Richard Nixon." The History Place. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/impeachments/nixon.htm>.
"The Watergate Scandal." Essortment Articles: Free Online Articles on Health, Science,
Education & More.. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.essortment.com/all/watergatescand_reji.htm>.
"Dirty Politics -- Nixon, Watergate, and the JFK Assassination." Index. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://mtracy9.tripod.com/kennedy.html>.
"Exhibit: Nixon and Watergate." National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 10
Nov. 2010. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/nixon.html>.
