judiciary

noun ju·di·cia·ry \ jü-ˈdi-shē-ˌer-ē , -ˈdi-shə-rē \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of judiciary

1 a : a system of courts of law

b : the judges of these courts

2 : a branch of government in which judicial power is vested

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judiciary

adjective

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Recent Examples of judiciary from the Web

Image The first female head of the judiciary, Ms. Sereno, 57, had publicly questioned the legality of Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs, which rights groups say has killed thousands of people.

— felipe villamor, New York Times, "Philippines’ Top Judge Took On Duterte. Now, She’s Out.," 11 May 2018
The first female head of the judiciary, Sereno, 57, had publicly questioned the legality of Duterte’s war on drugs, which rights groups say has killed thousands of people.

— new york times, BostonGlobe.com, "Philippine court removes chief justice, a critic of Rodrigo Duterte," 11 May 2018
Today, as in the nineteen-thirties, strongmen are ascendant worldwide, purging civil servants, subverting the judiciary, and bullying the press.

— caleb crain, The New Yorker, "Is Capitalism a Threat to Democracy?," 7 May 2018
She was appointed to the federal judiciary by Jimmy Carter, who made numerous appointments of women and people of color.

— robert sullivan, Vogue, "A New Ruth Bader Ginsburg Documentary Finds Its Heart in Love, Not Law," 4 May 2018
At the same time, there was a fierce debate going on in the judiciary as to what kinds of interrogations and police conduct actually were prohibited under the law.

— scott d. seligman, Smithsonian, "The Triple Homicide in D.C. That Laid the Groundwork for Americans’ Right to Remain Silent," 30 Apr. 2018
The official website of the judiciary, Mizanonline.com, said former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi has been arrested, without elaborating.

— nasser karimi, The Seattle Times, "Iran detains ex-prosecutor convicted in 2009 torture case," 22 Apr. 2018
The official website of the judiciary, Mizanonline.com, said former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi had been arrested, without elaborating.

— Washington Post, "Iran detains ex-prosecutor convicted in 2009 torture case," 22 Apr. 2018
And lawyers, legislators, the judiciary, journalists, and others have to help pick up the slack.

— peter edelman, The New Republic, "How housing ordinances are making poverty a crime," 10 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of judiciary

judiciary, adjective, from Latin judiciarius judicial, from judicium

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1623

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Law Dictionary

judiciary

noun ju·di·cia·ry \ ju̇-ˈdi-shē-ˌer-ē, -ˈdi-shə-rē \

legal Definition of judiciary

plural judiciaries

1 a : a system of courts of law

b : the judges of these courts

2 : a branch of government in which judicial power is vested — compare executive, legislature

—

judiciary

adjective

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See words that rhyme with judiciary Spanish Central: Translation of judiciary Nglish: Translation of judiciary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of judiciary for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about judiciary

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judiciary

Definition of judiciary

judiciary

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Origin and Etymology of judiciary

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judiciary

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judiciary

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judiciary

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