Question 1

The term stare decisis refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  adherence to precedent.
B)  judicial activism.
C)  judicial restraint.
D)  judicial review.
E)  excessive partisanship.F) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 2

According to the Constitution,the federal courts can issue a decision only

Accepted Answer

A)  in response to actual legal cases.
B)  in cases where the U.S.government is one of the parties involved in the dispute.
C)  on cases heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.
D)  in cases where the U.S.government is one of the parties involved in the dispute,and where the cases were heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) All of the above
G) C) and D)

Question 3

In selecting judges,the states rely on what method?

Accepted Answer

A)  political appointment
B)  competitive elections of a partisan nature
C)  competitive elections of a nonpartisan nature
D)  merit selection
E)  All of these answers are correct.F) None of the above
G) B) and E)

Question 4

________ was the first black justice to serve on the U.S.Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

A)  Clarence Thomas
B)  Antonin Scalia
C)  Robert Bork
D)  Thurgood Marshall
E)  Laurence TribeF) A) and B)
G) A) and E) D

Question 5

What is meant by the term jurisdiction? What is the difference between original and appellate jurisdiction as it applies to the U.S.Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A court's jurisdiction is its authority ...

Question 6

Federal judges are

Accepted Answer

A)  nominated by the Senate and approved by both houses of Congress.
B)  nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.
C)  nominated by the president and approved by both houses of Congress.
D)  elected by majority vote in their respective districts.
E)  elected by majority vote in their respective states.F) None of the above
G) D) and E)

Question 7

The power of the Supreme Court is MOST apparent in its ability to

Accepted Answer

A)  issue advisory opinions when Congress is considering a new bill.
B)  impeach federal judges who consistently ignore its rulings.
C)  declare another institution's action to be unconstitutional.
D)  override any decision of a state court.
E)  issue advisory opinions to the president on a regular basis.F) A) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 8

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in legal disputes involving

Accepted Answer

A)  foreign diplomats.
B)  the president.
C)  Congress.
D)  private parties.
E)  free speech and equal protection issues.F) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 9

The discretionary power of judges is less than that of elected officials because judges

Accepted Answer

A)  are prohibited from relying on personal judgment when deciding an issue.
B)  must make decisions that can be justified in terms of existing provisions of the law.
C)  are prohibited from addressing issues that have not been previously addressed by elected officials.
D)  are prohibited from taking into account the political consequences of a decision.
E)  must render rulings on all appeals.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 10

Federal judges are

Accepted Answer

A)  nominated by the president.
B)  confirmed by the U.S.Senate.
C)  appointed for an indefinite period,providing they maintain "good behavior."
D)  all of these: nominated by the president,confirmed by the U.S.Senate,and appointed for an indefinite period providing they maintain "good behavior."
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 11

Regarding Supreme Court procedures,which one of the following statements is NOT accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)  When part of the majority,the chief justice decides which justice will write the majority opinion.
B)  A concurring opinion is a view written by a justice who votes with the majority and agrees with its reasoning.
C)  A dissenting opinion is an opinion of a judge who votes against the majority.
D)  Attorneys who argue a case before the Supreme Court operate under strict time limits.
E)  The Court has broad standards in choosing the cases it will hear.F) C) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 12

The appointment of which Supreme Court justice in 2006 swung the Supreme Court to the right?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ruth Bader Ginsburg
B)  Samuel Alito
C)  John Roberts
D)  Elena Kagan
E)  Antonin ScaliaF) B) and C)
G) C) and D) B

Question 13

When asked if he had made any mistakes as president,________ replied,"Yes,two,and they are both sitting on the Supreme Court."

Accepted Answer

A)  Ronald Reagan
B)  Jimmy Carter
C)  Richard Nixon
D)  Lyndon Johnson
E)  Dwight EisenhowerF) B) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 14

A concurring opinion

Accepted Answer

A)  explains the chief justice's position on a case.
B)  is a separate view written by a justice who votes with the majority but disagrees with its reasoning.
C)  is delivered when the Court interprets a constitutional issue.
D)  is delivered when at least two justices,but less than a majority,hold the same opinion in a case.
E)  explains why the Court accepted the case in the first place.F) None of the above
G) A) and D)

Question 15

An amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief provides a court with the view held by

Accepted Answer

A)  an interest that is not a direct party to the case.
B)  the Justice Department.
C)  the House and Senate judiciary committees.
D)  the American Bar Association.
E)  the solicitor general.F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 16

In its ruling in Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission,the Supreme Court

Accepted Answer

A)  invalidated the use of union money in federal election campaigns.
B)  lifted restrictions in corporate and union spending in federal election campaigns.
C)  placed restrictions on the amounts that individuals can donate to federal election campaigns.
D)  placed limits on the amounts that corporations can donate to federal election campaigns.
E)  eliminated the provision for matching federal campaign funds in presidential elections.F) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 17

According to the doctrine of judicial restraint,the judiciary should

Accepted Answer

A)  defer to decisions made by the legislature.
B)  deny most appeals for retrials.
C)  deny individual rights when they conflict with the majority's desires.
D)  decline to make any decision that requires judges to give added meaning to the words of the Constitution.
E)  conform to the will of the people as measured by public opinion polls.F) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 18

The lowest level of the federal court system is the

Accepted Answer

A)  circuit court of appeal.
B)  highest level of the state courts.
C)  district court.
D)  justice of the peace.
E)  supreme judicial tribunal.F) B) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 19

Of the following Supreme Court justices,which has been the MOST liberal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Anthony Kennedy
B)  Earl Warren
C)  Ruth Bader Ginsburg
D)  Clarence Thomas
E)  Thurgood MarshallF) A) and B)
G) D) and E)

Question 20

Why was the Supreme Court ruling in Faragher v.City of Boca Raton,which relied on the context of the antidiscrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,demonstrative of the ambiguities of the law?

Accepted Answer

A)  The case arrived at the Supreme Court without the Court requesting a writ of certiorari.
B)  The case involved administrative law,but the Court used statutory law as a basis for its decision.
C)  It involved the votes of justices that had opposed the Civil Rights Act but who used the Civil Rights Act in the justification for their ruling.
D)  The minority dissenting opinion refused to use the Civil Rights Act as a justification.
E)  The case dealt with sexual harassment in the workplace,which is not mentioned in the Civil Rights Act.F) A) and E)
G) All of the above E

Exam 14: The Federal Judicial System: Applying the Law

The term stare decisis refers to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to the Constitution,the federal courts can issue a decision only

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In selecting judges,the states rely on what method?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ was the first black justice to serve on the U.S.Supreme Court.

Correct AnswerverifiedD

What is meant by the term jurisdiction? What is the difference between original and appellate jurisdiction as it applies to the U.S.Supreme Court?

Correct AnswerverifiedA court's jurisdiction is its authority ...View AnswerShow Answer

Federal judges are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The power of the Supreme Court is MOST apparent in its ability to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in legal disputes involving

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The discretionary power of judges is less than that of elected officials because judges

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Federal judges are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Regarding Supreme Court procedures,which one of the following statements is NOT accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The appointment of which Supreme Court justice in 2006 swung the Supreme Court to the right?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

When asked if he had made any mistakes as president,________ replied,"Yes,two,and they are both sitting on the Supreme Court."

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A concurring opinion

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief provides a court with the view held by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In its ruling in Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission,the Supreme Court

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to the doctrine of judicial restraint,the judiciary should

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The lowest level of the federal court system is the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the following Supreme Court justices,which has been the MOST liberal?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why was the Supreme Court ruling in Faragher v.City of Boca Raton,which relied on the context of the antidiscrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,demonstrative of the ambiguities of the law?

Correct AnswerverifiedE

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D

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A court's jurisdiction is its authority ...
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B

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E