Question 1

Although judges are bound to follow previous legal interpretations, their political views still matter because:

Accepted Answer

there are often multiple legal justifications for any decision in a case.

Answer

they often choose to ignore the decisions of other courts.

Answer

many judges later decide to run for political office.

Answer

they represent constituents just as a member of Congress does.

Question 2

What Article of the U.S. Constitution created the U.S. Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

Article III

Answer

Article II

Answer

Article IV

Answer

Article I

Question 3

The early details of the Supreme Court, including setting the number of justices at six and determining its internal organization, were established in:

Accepted Answer

the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Answer

Marbury v. Madison (1803).

Answer

the Preamble to the Constitution.

Answer

Federalist 78.

Question 4

Which of the following was a part of the Judiciary Act of 1789?

Accepted Answer

It created both federal circuit and district courts.

Answer

It set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine.

Answer

It specified the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.

Answer

It established every court throughout the nation, including all trial courts, city courts, county courts, state courts, and federal courts.

Question 5

What is a court’s appellate jurisdiction?

Accepted Answer

the authority of a court to review decisions from lower courts and change or uphold them

Answer

cases in which the court must make rulings on the facts of a case

Answer

the power to review the constitutionality of cases

Answer

the types of cases that originate in that court

Question 6

What was the principal effect of Marbury v. Madison (1803) on the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

It gave the Court the ability to rule on whether laws violated the Constitution.

Answer

It established the system of circuit courts to take some burden off of the Supreme Court.

Answer

It expanded the Court’s appellate jurisdiction.

Answer

It changed the original jurisdiction of the Court to hear matters in which state law conflicted with federal law.

Question 7

The significance of the Court asserting its power to review the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress is that it:

Accepted Answer

allowed the Court to become an equal partner in the institutional balance of power.

Answer

ensured that the rights of the majority would prevail.

Answer

gave the Court an unchecked power.

Answer

ensured the survival of dual federalism.

Question 8

What is a writ of mandamus?

Accepted Answer

an order issued to a lower court, government official, or agency to perform acts required by law

Answer

the right to keep people in prison indefinitely without notifying them of the charges

Answer

the original jurisdiction of courts

Answer

the ability to rule on the constitutionality of statutes

Question 9

By embracing the concept of dual federalism throughout the nineteenth century, the Supreme Court:

Accepted Answer

showed that it was unwilling to use judicial review to overrule states.

Answer

demonstrated its willingness to use its power of judicial review to rule on the constitutionality of state laws.

Answer

failed to fulfill a key component of the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Answer

resisted demands from Congress and the president to interfere in state politics 
more frequently.

Question 10

When the Supreme Court interprets a law passed by Congress, it is engaged in:

Accepted Answer

statutory interpretation.

Answer

judicial review.

Answer

constitutional interpretation.

Answer

constitutional review.

Question 11

The practice of judicial review:

Accepted Answer

has spread throughout so-called “third wave” democracies around the world.

Answer

is considered today to be essential to a functioning democratic government.

Answer

owes its early origins to Germany but is used only in the United States today.

Answer

was first described in the U.S. Constitution.

Question 12

If a neighbor accidentally backed his car into the fence that divides your property, destroying a large section of it, and you sued your neighbor in court for damages, your neighbor would be the:

Accepted Answer

defendant.

Answer

petitioner.

Answer

plaintiff.

Answer

respondent.

Question 13

The individual or group that appeals the decision of a lower court is the:

Accepted Answer

petitioner.

Answer

plaintiff.

Answer

defendant.

Answer

respondent.

Question 14

What is an example of a class action lawsuit?

Accepted Answer

the 1.5 million current and former female Walmart employees who recently sued Walmart for sex discrimination

Answer

Chisholm v. Georgia, which ruled that a citizen of one state could sue another state in federal court

Answer

Bush v. Gore, which ruled on the Florida recount process in the 2000 presidential election

Answer

any case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court that affects an entire class of people

Question 15

The process of sharing evidence before a trial, known as discovery, is a key part of:

Accepted Answer

the adversarial system.

Answer

a court’s jurisdiction.

Answer

the rules on the standard of proof.

Answer

the constitutional law system.

Question 16

Common law is a system by which a court:

Accepted Answer

makes legal decisions on the basis of earlier decisions by other courts.

Answer

ensures that both parties to a case have lawyers and share evidence.

Answer

provides a detailed codification of the law.

Answer

only hears cases that come from its specific jurisdiction.

Question 17

What is precedent?

Accepted Answer

a previously decided case that other courts use as a guide

Answer

the ability to review the constitutionality of laws

Answer

a person’s right to bring a case to the judicial system

Answer

a rule passed by Congress that the courts must follow

Question 18

Why is standing an important criterion for the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

It allows the Supreme Court to duck hearing politically sensitive cases by ruling that the plaintiff does not have standing.

Answer

It supports the Rule of Four in helping Supreme Court justices decide which cases to hear.

Answer

It prevents the Supreme Court from being biased in the way it rules on cases.

Answer

It can only be used if the mootness criterion is also used.

Question 19

Why is venue shopping important?

Accepted Answer

It allows individuals and groups to seek a court where they might receive a more favorable ruling.

Answer

It reduces the likelihood of jury nullification.

Answer

It resolves jurisdictional battles between federal and state courts.

Answer

It helps interest groups locate someone who has standing in a case to help them get a case to trial.

Question 20

Which of the following correctly orders courts from lowest to highest?

Accepted Answer

district courts, appeals courts, Supreme Court

Answer

circuit courts, district courts, Supreme Court

Answer

district courts, circuit courts, appeals courts

Answer

district courts, special courts, circuit courts

Question 21

The intermediate federal courts that hear appeals from district courts are known as:

Accepted Answer

appeals courts.

Answer

supreme courts.

Answer

constitutional courts.

Answer

legislative courts.

Question 22

Why are senior judges used in appellate cases?

Accepted Answer

to help reduce the appellate court system’s overall workload

Answer

Senior judges have the longest tenure on the appellate court, which helps ensure the trial is conducted properly.

Answer

to mentor the other judges on the appellate court

Answer

It helps give the appellate court’s ruling more credibility and stature.

Question 23

When the Supreme Court resolves conflicts among lower courts in the interpretation of the law, the principal effect is to:

Accepted Answer

ensure consistent application of the law across the United States.

Answer

support the importance of judicial review as its main power.

Answer

put judicial activism into practice.

Answer

put the supremacy clause of the Constitution into practice.

Question 24

Cases heard by the Supreme Court under its appellate jurisdiction arrive there because:

Accepted Answer

a litigant who lost in a lower appellate court has convinced the justices to hear the case.

Answer

they involve foreign ambassadors and nations.

Answer

Congress has identified the case as so important that the Supreme Court must hear it.

Answer

the Court has been asked to issue a writ of certification and to clarify a case for a lower appeals court.

Question 25

In which of the following is it possible for judges to face election?

Accepted Answer

state courts

Answer

constitutional courts

Answer

legislative courts

Answer

Supreme Court

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