ABSTRACT
The foundation of the Supreme Court’s legal and political power is the American version of the doctrine of judicial review. This empowers the Court to declare any law or action of a govern mental institution to be unconstitutional. This entails a majority of the nine justices deciding that a challenged law or administrative action violates one or more clauses of the Constitution. When a law is declared unconstitutional by the Court, it is null and void. The power of judicial review extends beyond constitutional interpretation, however. The Supreme Court also adjudicates alleged violations of federal laws by state laws or by the actions of private organisations. This is known as statutory interpretation.
