Judicial review of executive action is the constitutional mechanism through which federal courts examine whether the president and executive agencies have acted within the limits of their authority. The power derives from Marbury v. Madison (1803), which established that it is the courts' duty to say what the law is. The D.C. Circuit has particular significance in reviewing executive action because many federal agencies are headquartered in Washington, making it the most common appellate forum for challenges to executive branch decisions. When courts order the executive branch to take or halt action and the executive refuses, the contempt power is the primary enforcement tool. The DC Circuit's April 14, 2026 ruling narrowed the conditions under which a judge may use that tool by requiring that court orders be proved "clear and specific" before contempt inquiry begins.