judicial

adjective

ju·di·cial | \ jü-ˈdi-shəl

Definition of judicial

1a : of or relating to a judgment, the function of judging, the administration of justice, or the judiciary judicial processes judicial powers

b : belonging to the branch of government that is charged with trying all cases that involve the government and with the administration of justice within its jurisdiction — compare executive, legislative

2 : ordered or enforced by a court a judicial sale

3 : belonging or appropriate to a judge or the judiciary judicial robes judicial dignity

4 : of, characterized by, or expressing judgment : critical sense 2d

5 : arising from a judgment of God

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Examples of judicial in a Sentence

the judicial branch of government

Recent Examples on the Web

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has focused on confirming conservative judges as part of the Republican Party’s efforts to reshape the judicial branch while allowing some executive-branch nominations to languish. — Katie Benner, New York Times, "Justice Dept. Nominee Who Drew Scrutiny for Russian Bank Work Is Confirmed," 11 July 2018 That dovetails almost exactly with Team Trump’s wider (and whiter) makeover of the judicial branch. — Will Bunch, Philly.com, "The unbearable whiteness of being Trump's judicial picks | Will Bunch," 10 July 2018 Both Justice Kennedy and Justice Scalia were appointed by a President who understood that the best defense of our liberty and a judicial branch immune from political prejudice where judges that apply the Constitution as written. — Brian Bennett, Time, "How President Trump’s Supreme Court Pick Could Change the U.S.," 10 July 2018 With the court in the balance, liberal judicial activist groups were urging Democrats to oppose the nomination even before the president announced his choice. — Jan Crawford, CBS News, "Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh starts making the rounds on Capitol Hill," 10 July 2018 Under Trump, both the executive and judicial branches seem determined to roll back the incremental progress this country has made. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "Give the Left a Chance," 27 June 2018 Such cases can be appealed to the circuit courts, which are part of the judicial branch of government. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "Supreme Court upholds Ohio's purges of its voter rolls," 11 June 2018 Also, the president does have constitutional authority over the judicial branch. — Fox News, "Pundits pan Trump dumping summit," 28 May 2018 Another bill, signed by the governor into law Monday, requires those who try to influence officials in the executive or judicial branches to register as lobbyists. — Eric Adler, kansascity, "The Star honored by Pulitzer Prizes as finalist in public service | The Kansas City Star," 16 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'judicial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for judicial

Middle English, from Latin judicialis, from judicium judgment, from judex — see judge entry 2

Latin judicialis, from judicium judgment, from judic-, judex judge, from jus right, law + dicere to determine, say

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Dictionary Entries near judicial

judicial administration

judicial astrology

judicial combat

Statistics for judicial

Last Updated

16 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for judicial

The first known use of judicial was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for judicial

judicial

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of judicial

: of or relating to courts of law or judges

: ordered or done by a court

: responsible for dealing with all legal cases involving the government

See the full definition for judicial in the English Language Learners Dictionary

judicial

adjective

ju·di·cial | \ jü-ˈdi-shəl

Kids Definition of judicial

1 : of courts or judges the judicial branch

2 : ordered or done by a court judicial review

judicial

adjective

ju·di·cial | \ jü-ˈdi-shəl

Legal Definition of judicial

1a : of or relating to a judgment, the function of judging, the administration of justice, or the judiciary

b : of, relating to, or being the branch of government that is charged with trying all cases that involve the government and with the administration of justice within its jurisdiction — compare administrative sense 2, executive sense 1, legislative