This article considers the dilemma faced by judges in the famous Ryan v Lennon case, arguing that the 'all-or-nothing' nature of their option - under the system of judicial supremacy - undermined their actual capacity to 'save' democracy from itself. It goes on to make a broader case for a more constrained form of judicial review in the Irish system, considering cases like AG v X, Zappone & Gilligan, and Coughlan v Broadcasting Commission along the way.