The Judiciary and Judicial Review
Aligned to C3.D2.Civ.5 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
The federal judiciary is a tiered system of district courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court, which has the final word on federal constitutional questions. Judicial review is the power of courts to strike down laws or executive actions that violate the Constitution. This power was not written explicitly into the Constitution but was established by the Court itself.
Worked example
In Marbury v. Madison (1803), Chief Justice John Marshall declared part of a federal law unconstitutional, establishing the principle of judicial review that courts still use today.
Practice questions
- List the three main levels of the federal court system.
- Explain what judicial review allows a court to do.
- Analyze why Marbury v. Madison is considered a turning point for the Supreme Court's power.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
El Poder Judicial y la revisión judicial
El poder judicial federal es un sistema escalonado de tribunales de distrito, tribunales de apelaciones y la Corte Suprema, que tiene la última palabra en cuestiones constitucionales federales. La revisión judicial es la facultad de los tribunales de anular leyes o acciones ejecutivas que violan la Constitución. Este poder no se escribió de forma explícita en la Constitución, sino que lo estableció la propia Corte.
Ejemplo: En Marbury contra Madison (1803), el presidente de la Corte John Marshall declaró inconstitucional parte de una ley federal, estableciendo el principio de revisión judicial que los tribunales siguen usando hoy.
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