As structured in the Constitution, the federal government consists of three components: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. While most focus primarily on the executive and legislative branches, the judiciary is just as important and casts an expanding shadow over policy debates. With its own set of institutions and opacity, most Americans have only a vague understanding of the legal system and its impact on the economy. As the size and scope of government has grown, the legal system has lost its moorings, with common law being overwhelmed by statutory law—drowning the economy in red tape.