A change in the meaning of the Constitution without changing its wording, typically through court decisions, is known as what?

• A. Formal amendment
• B. Judicial review
• C. Statutory interpretation
• D. Informal amendment

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is how the Constitution’s meaning can evolve without changing its words. This happens through informal amendments, where the meaning is reshaped by how courts interpret the text and by ongoing practices and applications of governmental powers. A classic example is how Supreme Court decisions interpret the Fourteenth Amendment to apply Bill of Rights protections to the states, effectively changing how the Constitution is applied without any formal word changes. Other examples include how interpretations of the Commerce Clause expand or limit federal power over time.

This differs from a formal amendment, which would require changing the wording through the Article V process, and from judicial review, which is the Court’s power to strike down laws, not the act of updating constitutional meaning by interpretation. Statutory interpretation deals with laws passed by Congress, not the Constitution itself.