摘要： 本文探讨了司法审查在世界范围的功能及其监督机制，重点是司法审查制度在新兴宪政国家的发展。司法审查和民主都同样履行着反专制职能——如果民主是为了抗衡少数人的专制，那么司法审查是为了抗衡民主体制下的多数人专制。虽然司法审查存在“反多数主义难题”，但是其重要功能注定了宪政国家不可能取消司法审查，而只能通过恰当的制度设计，在保证司法权力获得监督的同时发挥其人权保障功能。

关键词: 司法审查 , 民主 , 多数人暴政

Abstract: This article discusses the functions of judicial review and the mechanisms to ensure its accountability，with the emphasis on the development of judicial review in new constitutional states．Both judicial review and democracy fulfill the same function of checking against tyranny：if democracy is to control the tyranny of minority，judicial review is to control the tyranny of majority in democratic processes．Although judicial review is confronted with the“counter－majoritarian difficulty”，its indispensable function dictates that a constitutional state can never afford to eliminate judicial review，but only constrain its exercise through adequate institutional design，so that the judicial power can contribute to the protection of individual rights while observing its own boundary．

Key words: Judicial review, Democracy, Tyranny of majority