Recently, I was working at home when my daughter approached me with a question. She was studying for one of her final exams and she was struggling with a concept. "Dad, can you explain to me what separation of powers is?" she asked. My response to the question was reflexive as an officer of the court, a court sworn to preserve and protect the constitutional rights of the citizens who appear before it. I explained, "Our U.S. Constitution establishes three 'separate but equal' branches of government, a legislative branch, an executive branch and a judiciary branch. Each branch has individual powers to check the other branches and to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful." In reviewing these three foundational pillars of our government with my daughter, I reflected upon the importance of these checks and balances in the current struggle to correct a constitutional wrong perpetuated against New York's children and families by Gov. Kathy Hochul.