judicial review

American  

[joo-dish-uhl ri-vyoo] / dʒuˈdɪʃ əl rɪˈvyu /

noun

1. the power of a court to adjudicate the constitutionality of the laws of a government or the acts of a government official.

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judicial review Cultural  

1. The principle by which courts can declare acts of either the executive branch or the legislative branch unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has exercised this power, for example, to revoke state laws that denied civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution. (See also checks and balances.)

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Etymology

Origin of judicial review

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

But the Clement filing is genuinely consequential, and not just because it might disarm Carr’s primary regulatory weapon if it survives judicial review.

From Salon • May 13, 2026

“How can it not be judicial review of the determination if you’re postponing the determination?” he asked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

The two solicitors helped get a judicial review commissioned after £105,000 was raised by a fundraising group.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Employees sued Lake over the firings, which were temporarily halted last September pending judicial review.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

But in 1790 the Supreme Court was a woefully weak third branch of the federal government and the principle of judicial review had yet to be established.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis