Virginia’s Three Branches
of Government
Who’s in Charge Here?
Virginia’s State Government
• Virginia’s state
government is made
up of three branches
(parts). These three
branches ensure
(make sure) that
Virginia laws agree
with the state
constitution.
The Legislative Branch
• The General
Assembly is the
legislative branch of
the Virginia
government that
makes state laws.
The Legislative Branch
• The General
Assembly is divided
into two parts – the
Senate and the
House of Delegates.
The Executive Branch
• The governor heads
the executive branch
of the state
government. The
executive branch
makes sure that state
laws are carried out.
The Judicial Branch
• The judicial branch is
the state’s court
system. The judicial
branch decides cases
about people accused
of breaking laws and
whether or not a law
agrees with Virginia’s
Constitution.
Checks and Balances
• Each government
branch has a certain
job to do. Each
branch also has some
power over the other
branches.
• We call this system
checks and balances.