Strict scrutiny is a legal term that describes the careful evaluation of laws to make sure they're constitutional.
Courts use strict scrutiny to examine a law's constitutionality after someone sues the government for discrimination. The government has to prove that the law is absolutely necessary in order to justify the possible infringement of constitutional rights. A law that bans the burning of a state flag, for example, violates the First Amendment; under strict scrutiny, the state likely not be able to justify the law as essential. The Latin root of scrutiny is scrutari, “investigate.”