Meaning & use
judicial review
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablelegalformal
The power of a court to examine laws or government actions and cancel them if they break higher law.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, so you say 'the power of judicial review', not 'a judicial review' in this general sense.
Patterns
- the power of judicial review
- judicial review of something
- seek judicial review
- subject to judicial review
The constitution gives the supreme court the power of judicial review over new legislation.
Environmental groups sought judicial review of the minister's decision to allow the dam.
Without judicial review, citizens would have no way to challenge an unlawful order from the government.
nouncountablelegalBritish
A court case in which a judge examines whether a public body's decision was lawful.
Grammar: Countable in this case sense: you can say 'a judicial review' or 'several judicial reviews'.
Patterns
- apply for a judicial review
- a judicial review of something
- bring a judicial review
The family applied for a judicial review of the council's refusal to rehouse them.
The judge dismissed the judicial review, saying the agency had acted within its powers.
Several judicial reviews followed the sudden closure of the local hospital.
Word forms
| plural | judicial reviews |
|---|
Common combinations
- seek judicial review
- The union decided to seek judicial review of the new pay rules.
- the power of judicial review
- The power of judicial review lets courts strike down unconstitutional laws.
- grant judicial review
- The high court agreed to grant judicial review of the deportation order.
- a judicial review hearing
- At the judicial review hearing, both sides argued about the meaning of the statute.
- subject to judicial review
- All decisions of the agency are subject to judicial review.
Synonyms and how they differ
- court oversight
- A looser, non-technical phrase for the same idea; use it in general writing, not in a legal document.
- constitutional review
- Often used for courts checking whether laws fit the constitution, a narrower job than judicial review of everyday decisions.
Word family
Commonly confused: judicial review or appeal?
judicial review vs appeal
An appeal asks a higher court to change the result of a case between two parties; judicial review asks a court to check whether a public body acted lawfully.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'judicial review' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Judicial review' means a court checking whether a public decision was lawful, so applying for it fits. Option 1 confuses it with a newspaper review, and options 3 and 4 confuse it with a personal check of accounts or a car.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “judicial review”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.