ap gov quiz
Which of the following is a primary function of the Senate Judiciary Committee?
Conducting hearings on judicial appointments made by the president
Which of the following is empowered to create new federal courts and specify the number of judges who will sit on them?
Congress
Which of the following is true of nominees for federal judgeships?
They are appointed for life by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Presidents have had the most success in changing the direction of decisions of the federal judiciary by
using the appointment process to select judges with judicial philosophies similar to those of the President
Which of the following United States Supreme Court cases established the principle of judicial review?
Marbury v. Madison
The Federalist No. 78 says, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." In which of the following decisions did the Supreme Court use an argument most similar to the one in The Federalist No. 78 ?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
A United States Supreme Court justice has announced his retirement at the end of the current Supreme Court term. What is the most likely presidential action in response to this announcement?
Nominate a federal judge who shares the president's ideology
Which of the following best reflects a function of the Supreme Court in Article III of the Constitution?
To serve as the highest court of appeals
Which of the following best explains the principle of stare decisis?
It encourages judges to follow precedent when deciding cases.
The framers of the Constitution designed which of the following to be LEAST responsive to public opinion?
The courts
Which of the following statements best explains the diagram?
Cases arising at both the state and federal level may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
In the case Twining v. New Jersey (1908), the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination is not applicable to the states. In 1964 the Supreme Court overruled the decision in Malloy v. Hogan (1964) and held that the right was incorporated to the states. This scenario illustrates which of the following?
Ideological changes to the Supreme Court can lead to the overturning of precedent.
In which of the following ways could the president try to limit the impact of a Supreme Court decision?
Instructing the Department of Justice to not enforce a provision of the decision
The doctrine of stare decisis is significant for which of the following reasons?
It is the principle that affirms that courts are bound by prior decisions.
A major reason why the majority of Supreme Court justices have had political experience prior to appointment to the Court is that
Presidents seek to place individuals on the Court whose policy views are similar to their own
During his confirmation hearing, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that Roe v. Wade (1973) "is the settled law of the land." This statement suggests that in a future case that challenges the constitutionality of legislation restricting privacy and reproductive rights, which of the following should be a key factor in the court's ruling?
Reliance on legal precedent
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the United States Supreme Court ruled that a Georgia law violated the U.S. Constitution. In response to Chief Justice John Marshall's majority opinion, President Andrew Jackson said, "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it." Which of the following ideas regarding government does President Jackson's statement exhibit?
Since the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism, the executive and legislative branches can restrict its decisions.
The Supreme Court upholds a law passed by Congress as constitutional. The chief justice states in the majority opinion that previous decisions supporting Congress' power to make laws based on the commerce clause of the Constitution were the basis for the decision. Which of the following legal concepts did the chief justice apply in writing the opinion?
Stare decisis
The Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) relates to foundational documents in which of the following ways?
The Federalist 78 is about the power and role of the federal courts, and in Marbury v. Madison, Madison expands that role by giving the courts the power to determine whether laws or executive actions conflict with the Constitution.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of a case being decided based on precedent?
The Supreme Court bases its decision in a case involving the commerce clause on one of its earlier decisions involving the commerce clause.
The Supreme Court is free to choose the cases it hears with only a few limitations. Which of the following statements accurately describes the selection of the caseload for the United States Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court is free to choose the cases it hears with only a few limitations.
Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a president avoiding a check from the judicial branch?
The president claims that certain detainees are enemy combatants and thus do not possess the same constitutional protections that the Supreme Court has upheld for the interrogation of criminal suspects.
Which of the following statements is correct based on the bar chart?
The more consistently liberal a person is, the more that person is likely to believe that the Supreme Court should base its rulings on what the Constitution means in current times.
Based on the data in the chart, which of the following is true?
The percentage of liberal decisions made by the federal district courts on civil rights and civil liberties cases increased between 1900 and 1928.
In Baker v. Carr (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that a state legislature would have to redraw their representative districts in order to comply with the Constitution. Which of the following potential difficulties could have resulted from this decision?
The state legislature could have refused to implement the decision, leading to a crisis in the legitimacy of the Supreme Court's authority.
Which of the following best defines the term "judicial activism"?
The tendency of judges to interpret the Constitution according to their own views
All of the following serve as checks on the power of the federal courts EXCEPT:
The voters can oust federal judges in national elections.
Which of the following is true of most federal judges appointed by the president?
They serve for life on good behavior unless impeached and convicted by Congress.
Congress has the constitutional power to control the judicial branch by
determining the size of the Supreme Court
To influence policy making by the federal courts, the president may do all of the following EXCEPT
fire and replace federal judges
The data illustrate that most conservatives believe that the United States Constitution
outlines a framework for government that the Supreme Court should apply strictly regardless of the political or personal preferences of judges
The difference between an appellate court and a district court is that an appellate court
reviews previous court decisions
The Supreme Court's power of judicial review permits the Court to overrule all of the following EXCEPT
the Bill of Rights
The doctrine of original intent holds that
the meaning of the Constitution depends on the intention of the framers
The idea that judges ought to freely strike down laws that are inconsistent with their understanding of the Constitution is known as
judicial activism
Supreme Court justices were given tenure subject to good behavior by the framers of the Constitution in order to ensure that
justices are free from direct political pressures
Which of the following actions can Congress take if the Supreme Court finds a federal law unconstitutional?
Appeal the Court's decision to the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals.
