The term "strict scrutiny" refers to a legal standard that governs the constitutionality of a statute. It is used when a statute is related to one of the fundamental rights, for example those associated with the Equal Protection Clause.
Strict scrutiny is a level of analysis that determines whether or not an act by Congress, the president, a local governing body, etc. is valid. The interest or objective being adopted by the entity in question should be "compelling."