judicial review

/ʤuˈdɪʃəl ˌriˈvju/

In law, judicial review is the power a court has to decide whether a law is constitutional. Under judicial review, laws deemed unconstitutional can be nullified.

The Supreme Court frequently uses judicial review to evaluate whether state laws obey the rules of the U.S. Constitution. One example is the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision; using judicial review, the Court found that a Virginia state law banning interracial marriage was unconstitutional, and all such state laws were struck down. Judicial's root means "judgment," and review derives from words meaning "to see again."

Definitions of judicial review

1. noun

   review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the decision of a trial court
   types:

   strict scrutiny

   the most stringent standard of review a court applies to determine whether a law is constitutional

   type of:

   review

   (law) a judicial reexamination of the proceedings of a court (especially by an appellate court)