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

Kavanaugh’s hundreds of judicial opinions show his commitment to careful, honest, detached interpretation of the Constitution and laws of the United States. — Jack Goldsmith, Time, "Brett Kavanaugh Will Right the Course of the Supreme Court," 12 July 2018 Donald Trump’s efforts to unilaterally reshape U.S. immigration policy are bumping up against the federal judicial system – with mixed results. — Kathleen Hunter, Bloomberg.com, "Travel Ban Win Could Embolden Trump on Border," 27 June 2018 There are numerous instances in which the statements and actions of government officials are not subject to judicial scrutiny or intervention. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Justice Kennedy Critiques President Trump, Even as He Upholds Travel Ban," 26 June 2018 The lower courts regarded these disclosure requirements as involving standard medical information that didn’t trigger the tougher judicial scrutiny that protected speech enjoys. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "SCOTUS Rules Against California Law Requiring Anti-Abortion Centers To Tell Whole Truth," 26 June 2018 The move comes as a federal judge in DC mulled an ACLU challenge to the man's detention, which had drawn unprecedented judicial scrutiny to the US's legal underpinning for the war on ISIS. — Sophie Tatum, CNN, "Pentagon plans to release US citizen held in Iraq, Justice Dept. tells court," 6 June 2018 Puri’s lawsuit was only the beginning of a judicial and political odyssey. — Matías Costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018 In the first two years of every administration going back to Jimmy Carter, there were only 24 such votes for judicial and executive nominees. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Senate Obstruction in Profile," 24 June 2018 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

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

14 Oct 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