justiciable
adjective
jus·ti·cia·ble
ˌjə-ˈsti-sh(ē-)ə-bəl 
1
: liable to trial in a court of justice
a justiciable offense
2
: capable of being decided by legal principles or by a court of justice
Examples of justiciable in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The term non-justiciable means these constitutional provisions cannot be enforced by courts.
—
Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022
At the same time, finding that congressional subpoenas are non-justiciable would be a major long-term boon for future presidents who might chafe at oversight.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 28 Apr. 2020
Lord Brodie considered that whereas when the petition was raised the question was unlikely to have been justiciable, the particular prorogation that had occurred, as a tactic to frustrate Parliament, could legitimately be established as unlawful.
—CNN, 11 Sep. 2019
The English judgment was that suspension was a political not a justiciable issue, and the Supreme Court may well agree.
—The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
Gupta replies that the fact that Congress could make exceptions to the emoluments ban doesn’t mean it’s not also justiciable.
—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
Indeed, a number of justices have concluded that the time had come to give up and admit that such claims cannot be evaluated without making political, as opposed to legal, judgments and should be regarded as non-justiciable.
—Rick Esenberg, National Review, 22 Aug. 2017
That means the justices will have to determine if partisan gerrymandering is even justiciable.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 19 June 2017
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Deepa Das Acevedo, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022
At the same time, finding that congressional subpoenas are non-justiciable would be a major long-term boon for future presidents who might chafe at oversight.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 28 Apr. 2020
Lord Brodie considered that whereas when the petition was raised the question was unlikely to have been justiciable, the particular prorogation that had occurred, as a tactic to frustrate Parliament, could legitimately be established as unlawful.
—CNN, 11 Sep. 2019
The English judgment was that suspension was a political not a justiciable issue, and the Supreme Court may well agree.
—The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
Gupta replies that the fact that Congress could make exceptions to the emoluments ban doesn’t mean it’s not also justiciable.
—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
Indeed, a number of justices have concluded that the time had come to give up and admit that such claims cannot be evaluated without making political, as opposed to legal, judgments and should be regarded as non-justiciable.
—Rick Esenberg, National Review, 22 Aug. 2017
That means the justices will have to determine if partisan gerrymandering is even justiciable.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 19 June 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'justiciable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of justiciable was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near justiciable
Cite this Entry
“Justiciable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justiciable. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Legal Definition
justiciable
adjective
jus·ti·cia·ble
jə-ˈsti-shə-bəl, -shē-ə-
: capable of being decided according to legal principles by a court
whether the tax laws unfairly burden the poor is not a justiciable issue
especially
: triable in a court
the claim is not justiciable because the plaintiff has no present right to the property but may in the future
see also political question at question sense 2 compare moot
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