How does judicial review affect the U.S. government?A.By allowing citizens to propose and pass federal laws through direct actionB.By allowing unconstitutional laws to be challenged and overturnedC.By ensuring that the president and Congress have roughly equal powerD.By placing limits on the judicial branch's ability to check the other branchesSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Sure, let's break down the question step by step.

1. Understanding Judicial Review: Judicial review is the power of the courts to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms of the government and to determine whether such actions are consistent with the constitution. Actions judged inconsistent are declared unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void.

2. Analyzing the Options:

   • Option A: "By allowing citizens to propose and pass federal laws through direct action" - This is not correct. Judicial review does not involve citizens directly proposing or passing laws.
   • Option B: "By allowing unconstitutional laws to be challenged and overturned" - This is correct. Judicial review allows the judiciary to invalidate laws and actions that are found to be unconstitutional.
   • Option C: "By ensuring that the president and Congress have roughly equal power" - This is not the primary function of judicial review. While it does contribute to the system of checks and balances, it does not directly ensure equal power between the president and Congress.
   • Option D: "By placing limits on the judicial branch's ability to check the other branches" - This is incorrect. Judicial review actually empowers the judicial branch to check the other branches by reviewing the constitutionality of their actions.

3. Conclusion: The correct answer is B. Judicial review affects the U.S. government by allowing unconstitutional laws to be challenged and overturned.