Question 1

If someone is an advocate of judicial restraint,he or she believes:

Accepted Answer

A)   in looking only at the words of the Constitution in order to understand its meaning
B)   that the Court should beware of overturning the judgments of popularly elected legislatures
C)   that judges should limit their interpretations to the intention of the law's framers
D)   the Court should go beyond the words of the Constitution or a statute to consider the broader societal implications of its decisions
E)   that judges should consider legal questions rather than deciding political mattersF) C) and D)
G) C) and E)

Question 2

How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A)   seven
B)   nine
C)   ten
D)   eleven
E)   fifteenF) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 3

A writ of habeas corpus declares that:

Accepted Answer

A)   the government must show a legal cause for holding someone in detention
B)   the government cannot send a defendant to stand trial in a geographically distant jurisdiction
C)   a defendant in a felony trial must receive assistance from legal council
D)   capital punishment can be neither cruel nor unusual
E)   the government cannot search premises without a warrant issues by a judgeF) All of the above
G) D) and E)

Question 4

Under normal rules of oral argument,each lawyer has ______ to present his or her case before the Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

A)   thirty minutes
B)   an hour
C)   ninety minutes
D)   two hours
E)   unlimited timeF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 5

In which type of case does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?

Accepted Answer

A)   any case involving the Constitution
B)   any case involving an ambassador
C)   any case involving the president
D)   any case it wants to take up
E)   any case involving a member of CongressF) C) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 6

The doctrine of stare decisis compels judges to use precedents to decide current cases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Which of the following is part of the Miranda rule?

Accepted Answer

A)   Arrested people have the right to remain silent.
B)   Arrested people have the right to sue the police for police brutality.
C)   Arrested people have the right to a fair trial.
D)   Arrested people have the right to face their accuser.
E)   Arrested people have the right to a reasonable bail.F) C) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 8

In recent years,federal court appointments have:

Accepted Answer

A)   been characterized by strict neutrality on the part of Congress
B)   attracted very little attention from the media and special interest groups
C)   been characterized by intense partisan and ideological efforts to support or defeat the candidate
D)   been unaffected by ideological concerns
E)   been confirmed very quicklyF) A) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 9

Which of the following statements about federal courts is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)   The federal government does not operate a court system.
B)   Federal courts hear only a small fraction of all of the civil and criminal cases decided each year in the United States, and their decisions are rarely important because they are not allowed to interpret the Constitution or the federal laws that govern all Americans.
C)   Although federal courts hear the vast majority of all civil and criminal cases decided each year in the United States, their decisions are rarely important because they are not allowed to interpret the Constitution or the federal laws that govern all Americans.
D)   Federal courts hear the vast majority of all civil and criminal cases decided each year in the United States, and their decisions are extremely important because they interpret the Constitution and the federal laws that govern all Americans.
E)   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.F) B) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 10

Fifty percent of lower federal court cases are accepted for review by the courts of appeals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the U.S.Courts of Appeals is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A)   The appeals courts were created by Congress, not by the Constitution.
B)   The appeals courts are able to hear all cases involving federal law, but not constitutional law.
C)   About 20 percent of federal cases are heard by the appeals courts.
D)   There are more than ten appeals courts in the United States.
E)   Except for cases selected for review by the Supreme Court, decisions made by an appeals court are final.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 12

When a case is resolved through a negotiated agreement before a full trial is completed,it is called:

Accepted Answer

A)   a misdemeanor
B)   a plea bargain
C)   taking the Fifth
D)   a writ of certiorari
E)   mediationF) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 13

A "certiorari pool" describes the:

Accepted Answer

A)   computerized lottery system by which the Supreme Court selects its cases each year
B)   practice by which Supreme Court law clerks work together to evaluate each petition
C)   the method used to appoint the chief justice
D)   the nickname for the water fountain in the courtyard of the Supreme Court building
E)   the pool of applicants seeking appointment to the federal judiciaryF) A) and C)
G) None of the above

Question 14

Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called:

Accepted Answer

A)   public law
B)   en blanc decisions
C)   precedents
D)   common law
E)   ex post facto casesF) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 15

Earl Warren is known as a judicial activist.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Dissenting opinions can be signed only by the chief justice or the most senior dissenting justice.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Many interest groups have used the federal courts to pursue their policy goals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The phrase stare decisis means:

Accepted Answer

A)   "let the decision stand"
B)   "the state will decide"
C)   "the decision is void"
D)   "the state must be decisive"
E)   "the decision is made"F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 19

Trial courts in the federal judicial system are called:

Accepted Answer

A)   grand juries
B)   district courts
C)   appellate courts
D)   administrative courts
E)   civil courtsF) None of the above
G) C) and E)

Question 20

Aside from the justices themselves,who or what has the greatest power in shaping the flow of cases to the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A)   the attorney general
B)   the solicitor general
C)   the Senate judiciary committee
D)   the state supreme courts
E)   CongressF) B) and E)
G) All of the above

Exam 12: The Federal Courts

A writ of habeas corpus declares that:

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In which type of case does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?

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If someone is an advocate of judicial restraint,he or she believes:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about federal courts is most accurate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The phrase stare decisis means:

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Which of the following is part of the Miranda rule?

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Prior cases whose principles are used by judges to decide current cases are called:

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Which of the following statements about the U.S.Courts of Appeals is incorrect?

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How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When a case is resolved through a negotiated agreement before a full trial is completed,it is called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fifty percent of lower federal court cases are accepted for review by the courts of appeals.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Earl Warren is known as a judicial activist.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Dissenting opinions can be signed only by the chief justice or the most senior dissenting justice.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Many interest groups have used the federal courts to pursue their policy goals.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Aside from the justices themselves,who or what has the greatest power in shaping the flow of cases to the Supreme Court?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Under normal rules of oral argument,each lawyer has ______ to present his or her case before the Supreme Court.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A "certiorari pool" describes the:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Trial courts in the federal judicial system are called:

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In recent years,federal court appointments have:

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The doctrine of stare decisis compels judges to use precedents to decide current cases.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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