Government: Judicial Branch Exam

In which of the following situations would the Supreme Court be most likely to apply the doctrine of selective incorporation?

A plaintiff challenges a state law that imposes penalties for certain categories of speech.

Which of the following best summarizes the debate reflected in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?

Are states required to provide legal counsel for indigent criminal defendants?

The final opinions of the Supreme Court cases McCulloch v. Maryland and Brown v. Board of Education share this commonality.

Both resulted in unanimous decisions.

The "separate but equal" standard reflected in Plessy v. Ferguson was partially struck down by

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

Which of the following best summarizes the debate reflected in Wisconsin v. Yoder?

Can Amish students be forced by compulsory education laws to attend public schools beyond 8th grade?

Which of the following best summarizes the debate reflected in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka I (1954)?

Does the "separate but equal" standard, applied to state public schools, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Which of the following best describes Dr. MLK's point of view when writing the Letter from Birmingham Jail?

Dr. King defends the motivations, tactics, and goals of the Birmingham campaign specifically and the Civil Rights Movement in general.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits states from imposing voting qualifications that deny voting rights based on race. Which of the following constitutional provisions most directly supports the power of Congress to pass the law?

Fifteenth Amendment

Which of the following best demonstrates the legal basis of the defense in the case of Schenck v. US?

First Amendment - Freedom of Speech

Which of the following best describes an impact the Supreme Court's use of the selective incorporation doctrine?

It restricts the power of state legislatures to pass laws that interfere with individual rights.

Which of the following entities would most likely advocate for the concurring opinion of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka II?

Members of the Little Rock Nine

Which of the following advocacy groups would most likely advocate for the dissenting opinion in Tinker v. Des Moines?

National Association of Secondary School Principals

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's led to legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was designed to prevent several different types of discrimination. Which of the following is one of the provisions of that legislation?

Prohibition of discrimination in public accommodations.

Which of the following is specifically guaranteed in the Bill of Rights?

Right to an impartial jury.

Which of the following government principles was at the center of the court's reasoning in Engel v. Vitale?

Separation of Church and State.

Which of the following most clearly states the outcome of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?

States must provide indigent criminal defendants with legal counsel regardless the nature of the charge.

The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in 1870, stating that voting rights cannot be abridged based on race. Almost 100 years later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited voting qualifications or practices which result in denying voting rights based on race. Which of the following best explains what led to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

The Civil Rights Movement brought attention to the extent to which minority voting rights were being denied.

Which of the following political parties would most likely advocate for the dissenting opinion in McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?

The Democratic Party

The outcome of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka I relied most heavily on which of the following ideas reflected in the US Constitution?

The Equal Protection Clause

The outcome of Wisconsin v. Yoder rests most heavily on which of the following ideas reflected in the US Constitution?

The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

Which of the following most clearly states the outcome of Plessy v. Ferguson?

The Supreme Court agreed that the Louisiana statute which created "separate but equal" public transit seating did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Which of the following most accurately describes civil liberties?

The basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, either explicitly or through interpretation.

The concurring opinion of Gideon v. Wainwright is most closely associated with which political belief?

The constitutional guarantee of legal counsel found in the Sixth Amendment should not be diminished by a defendant's income level.

Tinker v. Des Moines most likely resulted in a majority decision because:

The court reasoned that the students' expression would not have resulted in a disruption.

Schenck v. US most likely resulted in a unanimous vote because:

The court worried that allowing speech encouraging Americans to resist the draft would compromise the war effort and threaten American safety.

Which of the following most clearly states the outcome of Tinker v. Des Moines?

The majority of the court found that the First Amendment's freedom of speech protection applied to public schools and that school administrators have Constitutionally valid reasons for restricting student speech.

Which of the following best describes the Supreme Court's interpretation of the extent to which free speech is protected under the First Amendment?

The protection afforded to speech is affected by the circumstances in which it occurs.

Which of the following is the most accurate description of how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Bill of Rights?

The right to an attorney has expanded to include circumstances in which the government must provide an attorney.

The outcome of Gideon v. Wainwright rests most heavily on which of the following ideas reflected in the US Constitution?

The right to counsel in the Sixth Amendment.

Which of the following best summarizes the debate reflected in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka II (1955)?

What means should be used to implement the principles outlined in Brown I?

The case of Engel v. Vitale has most in common with which of the following Supreme Court cases?

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) most likely resulted in a majority decision because

the Court could not find any difference in quality between the whites-only and blacks-only passenger cars.