POLS 202 Ch 7, 12
The phrase stare decisis means
"let the decision stand"
About ________ percent of all cases in the United States are heard in federal courts.
1%
There are ____ circuits in the United States court of appeals
13
There are ________ circuits in the United States Court of Appeals.
13
Marbury v. Madison was decided in ________.
1803
In which of the following was there NOT an electoral realignment?
1994
Under normal rules of oral argument, each lawyer has ________ to present his or her case before the Supreme Court.
30 minutes
About ________ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.
33%
Each Supreme Court justice is assigned ________ law clerks.
4
_____ are nonprofit independent groups that receive and distribute funds to influence the nomination, election, and defeat of a candidate
527 committees
The United States has had ________ party systems since 1790.
6
There are approximately ________ federal district court judges in the United States.
679
In 2012, about ________ percent of Latino Americans voted for Barack Obama.
70%
How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
9
There are ________ U.S. district courts.
94
About ______ percent of African-Americans voted for Barack Obama in 2012
95
Most cases reach the Supreme Court through ____
A writ of certiorari
When a justice disagrees with the ruling of the course majority but not all of its reasoning he or she may be often write
A writ of certiorari
Which of the following statements is true about political participation?
African Americans and Latinos are less likely to participate in politics than whites
Which of the following statements about federal courts is most accurate?
Although the federal courts hear only a small fraction of all of the civil and criminal cases decided each year in the United States, their decisions are extremely important because they interpret the Constitution and the federal laws that govern all Americans
In most circumstances a Supreme Court is best described as a in most circumstances a Supreme Court is best described as a _____ court
Appellate
Which of the following is part of the Miranda rule?
Arrested people have the right to remain silent
In recent years federal court appointments have
Been characterized by intense partisan and ideological efforts to support defeat the candidate
Written document in which attorneys explain why the court should rule in favor of their clients is called a _____
Brief
Went interest groups involved in a litigation pursue a pattern of cases strategy they are
Bringing the same type of suit into multiple circuits hoping that a contradiction in rulings will bring about a Supreme Court review
During the late 1840s and early 1850s both the Democratic and Whig parties were divided by
Conflict over slavery
The size of the U.S. Supreme Court is set by ________.
Congress
The two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s were the ________ and the ________.
Democrats; Whigs
What is the significance of dissenting opinions?
Dissents are signs that the court is in disagreement on an issue and could change it's ruling
________ occurs when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.
Divided party government
The first party system was characterized by conflict between the ________ and the ________.
Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans
________ warned Americans against the dangers of political parties in his farewell address.
George Washington
Prisoners who are challenging their convictions are most likely to seek a writ of
Habeas corpus
What did the justices rule in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004)?
Hamdi was entitled to a lawyer and an opportunity to rebut the governments charges against him
The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court
Has increased dramatically since 1940
And individuals psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party ____
Identification
Which of the following statements about the Supreme Court is true?
In 2014, five of the nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents
Which of the following statements about voting rights is correct?
Many states have laws restricting the voting rights of persons convicted of felonies
Which of the following statements about Organizing for America (OFA) is FALSE?
OFA has established offices in only three states: California, New York, and Massachussetts
the certiorari pool describes the
Practiced by which Supreme Court law clerks work together to evaluate each petition
Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called _____
Precedents
Third-party candidates are better off under ______
Proportional representation
State ballot access laws, such as registration fees and petition requirements, have the effect of
Reducing the number of third-party an independent candidates who can run office
Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.
Republican
Which of the following statements about party building is true?
Republicans have paid much more attention to party building than the Democrats since the Eisenhower presidency
Which of the following best indicated the downfall of the New Deal coalition?
Richard Nixon's election in 1968
Why did many Republicans oppose President Obamas nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court ?
She supported affirmative action
Which of the following statements best describes the Supreme Court?
The justices have broad latitude to decide which cases they will hear and generally here only those cases they deem to raise the most important issues
"Me too" Republicanism refers to
The tendency of republican politicians during the New Deal to support popular programs such as Social Security rather than advance alternative policies.
Solicitor General is the
Top ranking official in the department of justice
The New Deal coalition was severely strained and ultimately broken apart by the ________
Vietnam War and the issue of civil rights
Which of the following statements about voter identification laws is most accurate?
Voter identification laws in the states disproportionately affect minority citizens and the less affluent
________ is the single most important political act for most Americans.
Voting
______ occurs when a criminal case is resolved through a negotiated agreement before a full trial is completed.
a plea bargain
A person, agency, or interest group not directly a party to a case but with an interest in its outcome may file a(n) ________ brief.
amicus curiae
Which of the following occurs when one party becomes dominant after replacing another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?
an electoral realignment
The Tea Party movement is
an organized challenge to incumbents in the Republican party by the most conservative wings of the Republican party
When Richard Nixon employed his "southern strategy," he
appealed to disaffected white voters in the South
In most circumstances, a supreme court is best described as a(n) ________ court.
appellate
In recent years, federal court appointments have
been characterized by extreme partisan and ideological efforts to support or defeat the candidate
When interest groups involved in litigation pursue a "pattern of cases" strategy, they are
bringing the same type of suits into multiple circuits, hoping that a contradiction in rulings will bring about a Supreme Court review
Which group was NOT a part of the New Deal coalition?
business leaders
All of the following are part of the official jurisdiction of the federal courts EXCEPT
cases involving citizens of more than one state where less than $75,000 is at stake
When a private individual brings a suit against a company for breaking a contract, this is an example of ________ law.
civil
During the late 1840s and early 1850s, both the Democratic and Whig parties were divided by
conflicts over slavery
_______ is the single most important factor in predicting whether an individual votes.
education level
________ is the single most important factor in predicting whether an individual votes.
education level
The right of due process is best described as the right of
every person not to be treated arbitrarily by a government or official
Which of the following is NOT a key factor affecting one's level of participation?
geographic region
Prisoners who are challenging their convictions are most likely to seek a writ of ________.
habeas corpus
An individual's psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party ________.
identification
The assignment of the opinion in a Supreme Court case is
important because differences in wording and emphasis can have important implications for how the decision is interpreted for future litigation
It is likely that eliminating state-level voter registration laws would
increase voter turnout among younger people
Through the exercise of ________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.
judicial review
Which of the following characteristics constitutes one's socioeconomic status?
level of income, level of political participation, and prestige of occupation
Which of the following statements about parties in Congress is FALSE?
only members of the majority party are allowed to take a part in the election of the Speaker of the House
The party that brings a complaint in court is called the ________, and the one against whom the complaint is brought is called the ________.
plaintiff; defendant
Third-party candidates are better off under ________.
proportional representation
State ballot access laws, such as registration fees and petition requirements, have the effect of
reducing the number of third party and independent candidates who can run for office
During the 1980s, the Republicans added ________to their coalition
religious conservatives and working-class whites
Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of
senators from a president's party approving of a judicial nominee from their home state
Third parties in the United States typically represent
social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons
Women in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.
somewhat more likely to support; Democratic
Men in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.
somewhat more likely to support; Republican
The jurisdiction of each federal court is derived from ________.
the Constitution and federal law
The Federalist Party disappeared forever as a result of ________
the War of 1812
What was known as the "court packing" plan?
the attempt by President Fredrick Roosevelt to add sympathetic justices to the Supreme Court in order to get New Deal laws upheld as Constitutional
Dealignment refers to
the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate, the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents, and the rise of split ticket voting
If a man is arrested because his home was searched by police without a legal warrant, he could argue in court that he had been denied ________.
the due process of law
Why has partisan conflict surrounded federal judicial appointments in recent years?
the federal courts play an important role in shaping American law and politics
Which of the following is NOT part of a country's party system?
the laws that govern how much money parties can raise and spend in election campaigns
Aside from the justices themselves, who or what has the greatest power in shaping the flow of cases to the Supreme Court?
the solicitor general
Under the Constitution, ________ has/have the power to regulate elections.
the state legislatures
The United States began its tradition of ________ during the early nineteenth century.
the two-party system
Incumbents in Congress
typically raise three times the money for theirpolitical campaigns than challengers
The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?
western mining interests, small farmers and urban workers
Historically, realignments occur
when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters and persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties
Which of the following statements is true about political participation?
young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people
