2008 civics test · Question 37 · System of Government
What does the judicial branch do?
Any one of these answers is accepted
- reviews laws
- explains laws
- resolves disputes (disagreements)
- decides if a law goes against the Constitution
What this means
The judicial branch is the court system, headed by the Supreme Court. Its job is to interpret the law rather than to write it or enforce it.
The courts:
- review laws and decide what they mean
- explain laws when their wording is unclear
- resolve disputes: disagreements between people, companies, or states
- decide if a law goes against the Constitution
That last power is the important one. If the Supreme Court rules that a law violates the Constitution, the law can no longer be enforced, even though Congress passed it and the president signed it.
Any one of those four answers is accepted.
Why this is on the test
This is the branch most applicants find hardest to describe, and it is also the branch that decides whether a law follows the Constitution.
How this question is asked
On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
This question also appears on the 2025 civics test , as question 51.
Related questions
More from System of Government.
- 13 Name one branch or part of the government. ★ 65/20 question
- 14 What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
- 15 Who is in charge of the executive branch?
- 16 Who makes federal laws?
- 17 What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? ★ 65/20 question
- 18 How many U.S. Senators are there?