Affirming the rule of law and the legitimacy of judicial review.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hickenlooper, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This Senate resolution affirms the constitutional principle of judicial review—the power of federal courts to interpret the law and rule on the legality of government actions. It cites the landmark 1803 Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison and states that the executive branch must comply with federal court rulings, though it may appeal those rulings when authorized by law.
Who Benefits and How
This resolution does not create substantive benefits for any specific group. It is a symbolic statement reaffirming existing constitutional principles. Federal judges and the judiciary benefit indirectly by having the Senate publicly affirm their constitutional role, but this creates no new powers or resources.
Who Bears the Burden and How
No group bears a direct burden from this resolution. It does not impose new requirements, costs, or restrictions on any industry, agency, or individual. As a non-binding Senate resolution, it carries no enforcement mechanism and does not change existing law.
Key Provisions
• Affirms that Article III of the Constitution grants judicial power to the Supreme Court and lower federal courts
• Restates the principle from Marbury v. Madison that courts have the duty to say what the law is
• Declares that the executive branch must comply with all federal court rulings
• Notes that the executive branch may appeal court decisions when authorized by law
• Serves as a symbolic statement of support for the rule of law and judicial independence
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
A Senate resolution affirming the constitutional principle of judicial review and the executive branch duty to comply with court rulings.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Symbolic/declaratory resolution affirming constitutional norms; no substantive policy change"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federal judiciary
- Constitutional scholars
- Rule of law advocates
Likely Burden Bearers
- None - this is a declaratory resolution with no enforcement mechanism
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology