What does ‘Judicial Activism’ mean?

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
Font Size:

This video is of Sen. Mike Lee, the fireball junior Senator from Utah, admonishing the administration and its allies on the political left. It’s an excellent speech that deserves a full viewing.

I would only add this — activism from the Supreme Court is when it magically “discovers” new rights and powers for government. The role of the SCOTUS is to curb overreach, not legislate from the unelected bench.

If, on the other hand, the SCOTUS strikes down a bill on account of it being an unconstitutional expansion of government power, that’s hardly activism. If anything, it’s the opposite.

Matt K. Lewis