What are the three judicial review tests?

Asked by: Mr. Julien Kunde  |  Last update: March 30, 2026
Score: 5/5 (27 votes)

The three main judicial review tests in U.S. constitutional law are Strict Scrutiny, Intermediate Scrutiny, and the Rational Basis Test, each representing a different level of judicial scrutiny applied to government actions that potentially infringe on rights, with strict scrutiny being the most rigorous and rational basis the most deferential to the government. These tests determine if a law is constitutional, depending on the rights involved, shifting the burden of proof and the level of justification required from the government.

What are the three types of judicial review?

The three main types of judicial review standards (or levels of scrutiny) in U.S. constitutional law are Strict Scrutiny, Intermediate Scrutiny, and the Rational Basis Test, determining how closely courts examine government actions, with strict scrutiny being the highest and rational basis the lowest, affecting burdens of proof and deference to the legislature. Alternatively, in UK administrative law, the grounds for judicial review are often categorized as Illegality, Procedural Unfairness, and Unreasonableness (Irrationality). 

What are the three types of judicial scrutiny?

Then the choice between the three levels of scrutiny, strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny, or rational basis scrutiny, is the doctrinal way of capturing the individual interest and perniciousness of the kind of government action.

What are the three basic principles of judicial review?

The three core principles of judicial review are that the Constitution is supreme law, the judiciary can declare laws/actions unconstitutional if they conflict with the Constitution, and courts can review government actions for illegality, irrationality, and procedural unfairness, ensuring public bodies act within their legal powers and follow fair processes. 

What are three tests the Supreme Court uses to decide what is constitutional and what is unconstitutional?

The rational basis test is one of three judicial review tests, alongside the intermediate scrutiny test, and the strict scrutiny test. Both the intermediate scrutiny test and the strict scrutiny test are considered more stringent than the rational basis test.

What are the strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny, and rational basis tests

34 related questions found

Can a president overturn a Supreme Court decision?

No, the President cannot directly overturn a Supreme Court decision; only the Court itself (through a new ruling), the Constitution (via amendment), or new legislation by Congress can overturn a major ruling, though Presidents can try to influence future decisions by appointing new justices or challenge rulings through appeals, and historically, some have selectively enforced or ignored certain rulings, as seen with Lincoln and the Dred Scott case. 

What are the three main methods of judicial selection?

There are three main methods by which judges are selected around the world: appointment, competitive exam, and election.

How does judicial review work 3?

When it comes to legal disputes, the courts are the final deciders of what the Constitution means. This authority – known as judicial review – gives the Supreme Court and federal courts the authority to interpret the Constitution.

What are the different standards of judicial review?

The standards are de novo review, clearly erroneous review (not for agency decisions), reasonableness review, arbitrary-and-capricious review, abuse-of-discretion review, and no review. The article explains the various standards.

What are the three levels of scrutiny used by the Supreme Court to discover whether discrimination is permissible?

Courts apply different levels of scrutiny to test whether a potentially discriminatory law is valid. These include strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny, and rational basis review. The level applied depends on the nature of the classification and the rights affected.

What are the three types of judicial opinions?

A majority opinion reflects the will of most of the justices. A plurality opinion reflects a vote in the same direction but for very different and contradictory reasons. A concurring opinion reflects a vote with the majority by one or more justices who disagree with the majority opinion's reasoning.

What are the three types of constitutional interpretation?

Types of Constitutional Interpretation. The three main theories of constitutional interpretation in the United States are textualism, originalism, and living constitutionalism.

Is the rational basis test easy to pass?

In contrast to strict scrutiny, rational basis is the most lenient test. For a law to be upheld under this test, it simply has to be “rationally related to a legitimate governmental interest” — meaning there must be a non-arbitrary relationship between the restriction and a reason the government has for imposing it.

Does article 3 establish judicial review?

The text of the Constitution does not contain a specific provision for the power of judicial review. Rather, the power to declare laws unconstitutional has been deemed an implied power, derived from Article III and Article VI of the U.S. Constitution.

What are the components of judicial review?

The doctrine of judicial review holds that the courts are vested with the authority to determine the legitimacy of the acts of the executive and the legislative branches of government. The State as well as Federal courts are bound to render decisions according to the principles of the Federal Constitution.

What are the three models of judicial review?

There are three general models of judicial decision-making that have been proposed by legal scholars and analysts. These are the legal model, the attitudinal model, and the strategic model.

What are the three standards of review?

Concerning constitutional questions, three basic standards of review exist: rational basis, intermediate scrutiny, and strict scrutiny. This form of standard of review is sometimes also called the standard or level of scrutiny.

What were the three principles of judicial review?

The three core principles of judicial review are that the Constitution is supreme law, the judiciary can declare laws/actions unconstitutional if they conflict with the Constitution, and courts can review government actions for illegality, irrationality, and procedural unfairness, ensuring public bodies act within their legal powers and follow fair processes. 

What is the Article 3 judiciary Act?

Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it.

What are the stages of the judicial process?

MENU Steps in the Federal Criminal Process

  • Investigation.
  • Charging.
  • Initial Hearing / Arraignment.
  • Discovery.
  • Plea Bargaining.
  • Preliminary Hearing.
  • Pre-Trial Motions.
  • Trial.

What are the three levels of justice?

The federal court system has three main levels: district courts (the trial court), circuit courts which are the first level of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States, the final level of appeal in the federal system.

What are the Article 3 judges?

Article III of the Constitution governs the appointment, tenure, and payment of Supreme Court justices, and federal circuit and district judges. These judges, often referred to as “Article III judges,” are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Is becoming a judge harder than a lawyer?

Yes, becoming a judge is generally much harder than becoming a lawyer because it requires years of successful legal practice, navigating political hurdles (election or appointment), and facing intense competition for a limited number of spots, whereas becoming a lawyer primarily requires law school and passing the bar exam, making the path to judgeship a significantly more difficult, specialized, and selective career progression. 

Why didn't Obama get to nominate a Supreme Court judge?

With the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016 in the beginning of a presidential election year, the Republican majority in the Senate made it their stated policy to refuse to consider any nominee to the Supreme Court, arguing that the next president should be the one to appoint Scalia's replacement.