A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people, as is in the United States. Legislators may be supra-national (for example, the European Parliament, national (for example, the US Congress), regional (for example, the Scottish Parliament) or local (for example, local authorities).
The political theory of the separation of powers requires legislators to be different individuals from the members of the executive and the judiciary. Certain political systems achieve this better than others. In the UK, for example, the executive is formed almost exclusively from legislators (members of Parliament) although the judiciary is mostly independent (the Lord Chancellor uniquely is a legislator, a member of the executive (indeed, the Cabinet), and a judge).
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