Govt. 2305 Chapter 15 Review PART 1

The Supreme Court has had __________ African-American members in its history. A. 1 B. 2 C. 5 D. 9

B. 2

The Supreme Court has had __________ female members in its history. A. 2 B. 4 C. 7 D. 11

B. 4

The total number of justices on the Supreme Court is: a. 7 b. 9 c. 11 d. 13

B. 9

Most Supreme Court cases fall under the rubric of A. original jurisdiction. B. appellate jurisdiction. C. political review. D. legislative court.

B. Appellate Jurisdiciton

The Supreme Court's original jurisdiction is conferred by a. Congress. b. Article III of the Constitution. c. the president. d. the chief justice

B. Article III of the Constitution

There have been 16 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court in history. The current Chief Justice is A. Warren Burger. B. John Roberts C. Anthony Kennedy. D. William Rehnquist.

B. John Roberts

In a civil case, the party who brings a case against a defendant is referred to as the A. state. B. plaintiff. C. petitioner. D. attorney general.

B. Plaintiff

The number of seats on the Supreme Court is determined by: a. the Constitution b. the Congress c. the president: d. the current members of the Supreme Court

B. The Congress

What is a writ of mandamus? a. A court order directing an official to act b. The most common method by which cases come to the Supreme Court c. The process by which cases are settled out of court d. A court's judgment in tort cases

A. A court order directing an official to act

Qualifications for members of the Supreme Court a. are not established in the Constitution. b. include a minimum of 7 years experience as a federal district court judge. c. include admission to the bar in a minimum of 32 states. d. both b and c

A. Are not established in the Constitution

Lower federal courts are created by: a. Congress b. the Constitution c. the President d. the Supreme Court

A. Congress

The common law is also known as a. judge-made law. b. statutory law. c. constitutional law. d. executive-made law

A. Judge-made law

The chief justice a. presides at the conference. b. writes all the dissenting opinions. c. writes all opinions of the Court. d. decides which cases the Court will review

A. Presides at the Conference

In court rulings, a reliance on past decisions or precedents to formulate decisions on new cases is called A. stare decisis. B. solicitation. C. strict construction. D_certiorari.

A. Stare Decisis

Which is not true of federal judges? a. they never rule on cases involving state law. b. they enjoy high prestige. c. they are appointed for life. d. they are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

A. They never rule on cases involving state law

The federal court system is a three-tiered model consisting of a. trial courts, intermediate courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. b. county courts, stat courts, and national appellate courts. c. legislative courts, executive courts, and judicial courts. d. civil case courts, criminal case courts, and appellate courts

A. Trial courts, intermediate courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has a staff of A. 700. B. 500. C. 400. D. 250

C. 400

A writ of certiorari by the Supreme Court orders a. both parties in a case to reach agreement without further litigation. b. state courts to abide by the decisions of the Court. c. a lower court to send it the record of a case for review. d. the state legislature to rewrite legislation that was founded unconstitutional

C. A lower court to send it the record of a case for review

An important power of the chief justice of the Supreme Court is his/her power to a. select associate justices of the court. b. prohibit dissenting opinions. c. assign the written opinion if he/she is in the majority. d. remove associate justices from the Court.

C. Assign the written opinion if he/she is in the majority

A document containing the collected legal arguments in a case that is filed with a court prior to trial is called a(n) A. precedent. B. initiative. C. brief. D. amicus curiae.

C. Brief

Cases before the Supreme Court are decided: a. unanimously b. by 2/3 vote c. by majority vote d. by plurality vote

C. By majority vote

Most federal cases originate in a. state district courts. b. special legislative courts. c. federal district court. d. the state court of last resort for criminal cases

C. Federal district court

There are ______ federal district courts in the United States. a. thirteen b. fifty-one c. ninety-four d. one hundred

C. Ninety-four

Federal judges can be removed a. by presidential dismissal. b. by national election. c. only by impeachment. d. only if they are senile

C. Only by impeachment

The jurisdiction of federal courts is controlled by A. Congress. B. the executive branch, particularly the Department of Justice. C. the Constitution and statutes. D. the Constitution alone.

C. The Constitution and statutes

All of the following are limitations on the power of the supreme Court except a. the Congress establishes the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction. b. the Court must depend on the executive branch to enforce its decisions. c. the Court's members are selected by the chief justice. d. members of the Court are subject to impeachment and conviction by Congress

C. The Court's members are selected by chief justice

The Supreme Court's original jurisdiction accounts for __________% of its caseload. A. 42-48 B. 21-32 C. 9-14 D. 2-5

D. 2-5

Since 1869, the Supreme Court has consisted of __________ justices. A. 6 B. 7 C. 8 D. 9

D. 9

In general, a nominee for the Supreme Court must fit certain criteria including A. competence. B. ideological and/or policy preferences. C. religion or gender. D. all of the above.

D. All of the above

The U.S. Supreme Court can hear appeals from A. lower federal courts. B. state high courts. C. the Court of Military Appeals. D. all of the above.

D. All of the above

The main function of the U.S. Courts of Appeals is to: a. decide on the guilt or innocence of defendants. b. hear any new evidence discovered after the trial c. ease the workload of the judges in the District Court. d. decide if the original trial was held correctly.

D. Decide if the original trial was held correctly

One of the main Differences between the selection of federal and state judges is the a. nonpolitical selection of federal judges. b. appointment of all state judges. c. election of many federal judges. d. election of many state judges

D. Election of many state judges

Before any court can hear a case a. the jury must be selected. b. all appeals must be filed with the court clerk. c. both parties must agree on a neutral judge. d. it must have jurisdiction- the power to decide the case.

D. It must have jurisdiction- power to decide the case.

The "rule of four" refers to the a. Fact that four judges sit in appellate court proceedings. b. Existence of four levels of courts from local to national. c. What must happen before writs of habeas corpus are issued. d. Need for four Supreme Court justices to vote to hear a case on appeal.

D. Need for four Supreme Court justices to vote to hear a case on appeal

The justices of the Supreme Court are A. elected in nonpartisan balloting. B. appointed solely by the president. C. selected by the Senate. D. nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

D. Nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate

Appellate court proceedings may include a. jurors. b. witnesses. c. cross-examination. d. oral argument.

D. Oral argument

Appellate courts usually A. hear only criminal cases. B. hear only civil cases. C. determine the credibility of the facts of a case. D. review the legal procedures of a case not the facts.

D. Review the legal procedures of a case not the facts

If the chief justice is not in the majority when the case is decided, the responsibility for opinion assignment rests with a. the most junior justice on the Court. b. the most senior associate justice in the minority. c. the chief justice's law clerks. d. the most senior associate justice in the majority.

D. The most senior associate justice in the majority

The doctrine of stare decisis means a. to reverse the decision of a lower court. b. that the court does not have jurisdiction in a case. c. to refer a case to the next highest court. d. to stand on the decided cases

D. To stand on the decided cases

There are ______ U.S. courts of appeals. a. twenty-five b. fifty c. nine d. thirteen

D. thirteen