judicial review

N.

(US) The power of a court to judge the constitutionality of the laws of a government or the acts of a government official;

(UK) A form of legal action in which the court assesses the legality of something done by government, including administrative decisions and the adoption of secondary legislation.

In the U.S., the doctrine of judicial review is often said to have begun with the landmark Supreme Court case of Marbury V. Madison.