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Question

Difficulty: HardConcept, Sources, and Functions of Constitutions

During a constitutional dispute, a government official disregards a long-standing political practice that has been observed for decades but is neither written in the codified constitution nor affirmed by a judicial verdict. When aggrieved citizens file a lawsuit seeking to force compliance, the court dismisses the suit for lack of legal jurisdiction. Which of the following best explains the constitutional basis for the court's decision?

  1. Constitutional conventions are non-justiciable political usages, whereas judicial precedents are legally binding court decisions.Answer
  2. B
    Judicial review gives courts authority only over legislative statutes, whereas executive acts are governed solely by legal sovereignty.
  3. C
    Political usages automatically acquire statutory authority once practiced across successive political administrations.
  4. D
    Unwritten political traditions reflect legal sovereignty, which overrides written judicial precedents.

Answer

Constitutional conventions are unwritten, non-justiciable political practices based on custom, making them unenforceable in a court of law, unlike legally binding judicial precedents.
Constitutional conventions are informal political usages and customs that shape executive and legislative behavior. Because they are not legal rules, courts lack jurisdiction to enforce them directly (non-justiciable). In contrast, judicial precedents established by higher courts carry force of law and are legally binding under the principle of stare decisis.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the constitutional source described in the stem.
The long-standing political practice described is a constitutional convention.
Constitutional conventions are unwritten customs and traditions that guide government operation without being formally enacted into law.
2
Analyze the legal status of constitutional conventions compared to judicial precedents.
Conventions are non-justiciable (courts cannot enforce them directly), whereas judicial precedents carry binding legal authority under stare decisis.
Courts resolve legal disputes based on law, statutory enactments, and judicial precedents, not political conventions.
3
Select the option that correctly states this operational distinction.
The option stating that constitutional conventions are non-justiciable political usages while judicial precedents are legally binding decisions is correct.
This accurately reflects why the judiciary declined to enforce the political usage in court.

Key Concept

Unwritten Sources of Constitutions: Conventions vs. Judicial Precedents
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Topics

Concept, Sources, and Functions of Constitutions