Strict scrutiny

Strict scrutiny is a form of judicial review that courts use to determine the constitutionality of certain laws.  To pass strict scrutiny, the legislature must have passed the law to further a "compelling governmental interest," and must have narrowly tailored the law to achieve that interest.  A famous quip asserts that strict scrutiny is "strict in name, but fatal in practice."  

For a court to apply strict scrutiny, the legislature must either have significantly abridged a fundamental right with the law's enactment or have passed a law that involves a suspect classification.  Suspect classifications have come to include race, national origin, religion, alienage, and poverty.

Compare to intermediate scrutiny and rational basis.