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Checks and Balances: A Framework Under Pressure
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A weathered statue of Lady Justice. (Photo via Caption Photo Gallery/Getty Images)
A weathered statue of Lady Justice. (Photo via Caption Photo Gallery/Getty Images)
BY and / JUL 1, 2025 ( Updated JUL 2, 2025)

Checks and Balances: A Framework Under Pressure

The separation of powers has long safeguarded liberty by distributing authority—but in an era of hyper-partisanship, its resilience faces new tests.

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“The Next 250” invites readers to reflect on the values embedded in America’s founding documents. As we approach the nation’s semiquincentennial, we reexamine these principles in the context of today’s political and cultural landscape.

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Kevin D. Williamson is national correspondent at The Dispatch and is based in Virginia. Prior to joining the company in 2022, he spent 15 years as a writer and editor at National Review, worked as the theater critic at the New Criterion, and had a long career in local newspapers. He is also a writer in residence at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. When Kevin is not reporting on the world outside Washington for his Wanderland newsletter, you can find him at the rifle range or reading a book about literally almost anything other than politics.

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