General comment on how the American judicial system works and why the Supreme Court has the final word in deciding on the meaning of the law, starting with what the US Constitution itself says about the power of the Supreme Court:
Section 2
1: The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State; —between Citizens of different States, —between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.
2: In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.
The only change ever made to that was the Eleventh Amendment:
The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.
That certainly gives the Supreme Court a great deal of power over the law in the United States. It hands the fate of all Cases arising under the Constitution, Laws and Treaties of the United States of America to the Supreme Court. It gives no jurisdiction at all to any other part of the Federal government.
There are two early cases that establish the doctrine of
Judicial Interpretation and
Judicial Review for the Supreme Court in the United States:
Hylton v. United States, 1796
Marbury v. Madison, 1803
However, Judicial Review had been around in the US before then. The 1787
Bayard v. Singleton case in North Carolina is said to be the first example. This method of
Judicial Review in the American courts was so successful and admired that it is referred to as the "American Model". The "American Model" is implemented in a few dozen countries around the world.
Until and unless an Amendment to the Constitution is passed to change this, the Supreme Court really does have the last word on the meaning of the Constitution.