Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

constitutional-fact doctrine

1. The rule that federal courts are not bound by an administrative agency's findings of fact when the facts involve whether the agency has exceeded constitutional limitations on its power, esp. regarding personal rights. * Instead, the courts are charged with making an independent inquiry based on the record. 2. The now discredited rule that a federal appellate court is not bound by a trial court's findings of fact when constitutional rights are implicated. Cf. JURISDICTIONALFACT DOCTRINE.