Judicial study guide

Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution is most related to the case Marbury v. Madison (1803) ?

Article 3

Which of the following actions could be taken to reverse the impact of the decision (GOODYEAR v. LEDBETTER)?

Congress could enact legislation to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?

Decided that the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional Decided that redistricting plans based on race must be held to a high standard of scrutiny

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.

Which of the following statements best describes the information in the infographic above?

In general, the Warren Court changed precedents to be more liberal and the Burger Court altered precedents to be more conservative

Which of the following statements best explains how stare decisis influences Supreme Court justices?

It makes justices more likely to defer to previous Supreme Court decisions

Which of the following statements best explains how judicial activism influences decisions made by individual justices when deciding cases heard by the Court?

Justices are influenced by the social effects the decision might have on the public

It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning." Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this statement?

Marbury v. Madison

Supporters of Hamilton's view that acts contrary to the Constitution are invalid could point to which of the following cases?

Marbury v. Madison

Which prior Supreme Court case could be cited as a precedent for the majority decision in United States v. Nixon (1974)?

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 could Congress do to limit the Supreme Court's power in response?

Pass legislation changing the Court's jurisdiction

Which of the following statements best explains how a president's ideology can influence presidential nominations to the judiciary?

Presidents nominate Supreme Court justices who are likely to be sympathetic to their views, changing the ideological leanings of the Court

Which of the following actions can the states take to limit the Supreme Court's power?

Refuse to implement and enforce a ruling by the Court

Which of the following explains Senator Cruz's motivation for writing the excerpt above?

Senator Cruz believes that the Supreme Court made several controversial decisions that undermine states' rights under the Constitution.

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.

Which of the following statements best summarizes Marshall's argument?

The Supreme Court should judge whether a law is constitutional

Which of the following was a likely result of the decision in Wickard v. Filburn that contributed to the Court's later decision in United States v. Lopez (1995) ?

The expansive interpretation of the commerce clause by the Supreme Court which greatly extended the power of Congress drew criticism that eventually led to a more narrow interpretation.

Which of the following statements best summarizes Hamilton's argument?

The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the Constitution and judging whether the laws passed by Congress are constitutional

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.

As the Supreme Court was not able to enforce the decision, the other branches of government ignored it. This example illustrates which of the following?

Unpopular Supreme Court decisions can be avoided or ignored if other branches refuse to cooperate with the outcomes of those decisions.

Which of the following presidential actions is an example of court-curbing?

appointing justices that shift the ideological balance of the Supreme Court

Which of the following steps may Congress take to limit the Supreme Court's power?

pass legislation changing the Court's appellate jurisdiction