Question 1

About ________ percent of the nation's legal cases are decided in state court systems.

Accepted Answer

A)  10
B)  25
C)  50
D)  75
E)  95F) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 2

The federal district courts

Accepted Answer

A)  are the chief trial courts of the federal system.
B)  are the only federal courts where the two sides present their case to a jury for a verdict.
C)  are the courts that,in practice,make the final decision in most federal cases.
D)  exist in each state.
E)  All of these answers are correct.F) B) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 3

Which legal doctrine holds that in nearly every instance,policy issues should be decided by elected lawmakers and not by appointed judges?

Accepted Answer

A)  judicial activism
B)  judicial restraint
C)  judicial legitimacy
D)  appellate jurisdiction
E)  judicial executive powerF) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 4

Federal judges are

Accepted Answer

A)  nominated by the Senate and approved by both houses of Congress.
B)  nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.
C)  nominated by the president and approved by both houses of Congress.
D)  elected by majority vote in their respective districts.
E)  elected by majority vote in their respective states.F) C) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 5

Of the thirteen U.S.courts of appeals,

Accepted Answer

A)  all thirteen are assigned geographically to groups of states to deal with disputes over state laws.
B)  one is devoted to issues involving military tribunals and the District of Columbia.
C)  five have jurisdiction over disputes involving foreign territories or countries and the District of Columbia.
D)  eleven have jurisdiction over a "circuit" comprised of the district courts in anywhere from three to five states.
E)  three are devoted to dealing with disputes involving the overlapping contradiction between state and federal laws.F) B) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 6

Compared with the decision in a Supreme Court case,the opinion is more significant because it

Accepted Answer

A)  determines the losing party in a case and the penalty to be imposed on this party.
B)  reveals the conflicts between the justices,which the president and Congress can use in determining their position on judicial appointments and new legislation.
C)  informs others of the Court's interpretation of the laws and thereby guides their decisions.
D)  addresses the constitutional aspects of a case,whereas the decision addresses the statutory aspects.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 7

An amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief provides a court with the view held by

Accepted Answer

A)  an interest that is not a direct party to the case.
B)  the Justice Department.
C)  the House and Senate judiciary committees.
D)  the American Bar Association.
E)  the solicitor general.F) A) and B)
G) All of the above

Question 8

The U.S.courts of appeals

Accepted Answer

A)  hear new evidence in appealed cases.
B)  review trial court decisions.
C)  are the highest courts to use juries.
D)  decide for the Supreme Court the cases it will review.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and B)
G) A) and D)

Question 9

________ was the first black justice to serve on the U.S.Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

A)  Clarence Thomas
B)  Antonin Scalia
C)  Robert Bork
D)  Thurgood Marshall
E)  Laurence TribeF) C) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 10

Which of the following Supreme Court justices was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sandra Day O'Connor
B)  John Stevens
C)  Earl Warren
D)  Louis Brandeis
E)  David SouterF) A) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 11

Although federal district courts are theoretically bound by Supreme Court precedents,they sometimes deviate because

Accepted Answer

A)  the facts of a case are seldom precisely the same as those of similar cases decided by the Supreme Court.
B)  federal judges may misunderstand the Court's judicial reasoning or position.
C)  ambiguities or unaddressed issues in Supreme Court rulings give lower courts some flexibility in deciding cases.
D)  of all these factors: the facts of a case are seldom precisely the same as those of similar cases decided by the Supreme Court;federal judges may misunderstand the Court's judicial reasoning or position;and ambiguities or unaddressed issues in the Court's rulings give lower courts some flexibility in deciding cases.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) C) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 12

A written Supreme Court opinion that disagrees with what the majority of the justices decided is a

Accepted Answer

A)  majority opinion.
B)  plurality opinion.
C)  dissenting opinion.
D)  concurring opinion.
E)  adjunct opinion.F) A) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 13

The long-serving chief justice that established the principle of judicial review was

Accepted Answer

A)  Charles Evans Hughes.
B)  Hugo Black.
C)  Clarence Thomas.
D)  John Marshall.
E)  Benjamin Cardozo.F) C) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 14

Of the following Supreme Court justices,which has been the MOST liberal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Anthony Kennedy
B)  Earl Warren
C)  Ruth Bader Ginsburg
D)  Clarence Thomas
E)  Thurgood MarshallF) C) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 15

There are __ federal district courts.

Accepted Answer

A)  2
B)  13
C)  50
D)  94
E)  435F) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 16

The Supreme Court is likely to grant a hearing when a case involves

Accepted Answer

A)  an issue of state law as opposed to an issue of federal law.
B)  an issue of private law as opposed to an issue of public law.
C)  an issue that is being decided inconsistently by the lower federal courts.
D)  the possibility that an innocent person has been wrongly convicted of a crime.
E)  an issue dealing with state constitutional law.F) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 17

According to the Constitution,the federal courts can issue a decision only

Accepted Answer

A)  in response to actual legal cases.
B)  in cases where the U.S.government is one of the parties involved in the dispute.
C)  on cases heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.
D)  in cases where the U.S.government is one of the parties involved in the dispute,and where the cases were heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 18

Studies by political scientists show that Supreme Court justices

Accepted Answer

A)  are strongly influenced by their political beliefs.
B)  are slightly influenced by their political beliefs.
C)  are not influenced by their political beliefs.
D)  strive to ensure that their political beliefs do not influence their decisions.
E)  all share the same political beliefs.F) A) and B)
G) B) and E)

Question 19

How long do federal judges serve?

Accepted Answer

A)  two years
B)  four years
C)  eight years
D)  ten years
E)  until they retire,die,or are removed through the impeachment and conviction processF) C) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 20

The judiciary's status as an independent branch of national government depends on judicial review,which grants the judiciary the authority to

Accepted Answer

A)  make political decisions;judges can overturn any congressional or presidential decision they personally dislike.
B)  decide which laws apply to a particular case.
C)  ignore public opinion when making decisions.
D)  invalidate the actions of other institutions when judges believe they have acted unconstitutionally.
E)  strike down certain sections of the Constitution.F) A) and B)
G) D) and E)

Exam 14: The Federal Judicial System: Applying the Law

Which legal doctrine holds that in nearly every instance,policy issues should be decided by elected lawmakers and not by appointed judges?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Studies by political scientists show that Supreme Court justices

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The federal district courts

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Although federal district courts are theoretically bound by Supreme Court precedents,they sometimes deviate because

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About ________ percent of the nation's legal cases are decided in state court systems.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following Supreme Court justices was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower?

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There are __ federal district courts.

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________ was the first black justice to serve on the U.S.Supreme Court.

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According to the Constitution,the federal courts can issue a decision only

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Supreme Court is likely to grant a hearing when a case involves

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The U.S.courts of appeals

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The long-serving chief justice that established the principle of judicial review was

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The judiciary's status as an independent branch of national government depends on judicial review,which grants the judiciary the authority to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the thirteen U.S.courts of appeals,

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Compared with the decision in a Supreme Court case,the opinion is more significant because it

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the following Supreme Court justices,which has been the MOST liberal?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Federal judges are

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief provides a court with the view held by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A written Supreme Court opinion that disagrees with what the majority of the justices decided is a

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How long do federal judges serve?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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