What a constitutional court does
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A constitutional court specialises in resolving disputes about whether laws or government actions comply with a country's constitution, often holding the specific authority to strike down legislation found to be inconsistent with constitutional requirements, at least in most well functioning systems, even if that is not always obvious.
Its role differs from an ordinary appeal court in that its focus is squarely on constitutional questions, such as whether a law respects the separation of powers or protects rights guaranteed to citizens, rather than the general run of civil and criminal appeals, which matters more than it might first appear.
Because its rulings can invalidate laws passed by an elected legislature, a constitutional court's decisions often attract intense public and political attention, particularly in cases touching on contested or significant areas of public policy, something that becomes clearer with experience, as is often the case in practice, though this can vary between jurisdictions.