Question 1

Explain the basic structure and jurisdiction of the federal judicial system.Describe the three different levels of federal courts.How are the lower courts created and how is their jurisdiction defined? What was the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

There are three components to this quest...

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the role of the solicitor general?

Accepted Answer

A)  The solicitor general is the chief legal counsel for the White House.
B)  The solicitor general is the lawyer who represents the United States before the Supreme Court in cases where the federal government is a party.
C)  The solicitor general is the chief lawyer for Congress who makes advisory opinions on the constitutionality of legislative proposals.
D)  The solicitor general is the head of the Department of Justice.

Question 3

How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A)  7
B)  9
C)  11
D)  15

Question 4

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 state supreme courts
D)  Congress

Question 5

If a defendant is charged with burglary,but admits to a lesser charge of trespassing in
Exchange for the prosecution dismissing the burglary charge and forgoing the criminal trial,
It is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  a plea bargain.
B)  a quid pro quo.
C)  a pro bono settlement.
D)  an amicus curiae.

Question 6

Which of the following would the Supreme Court likely refuse to hear because of "mootness"?

Accepted Answer

A)  a case involving a citizen suing the Social Security Administration for failure to deliver Social Security benefits prior to the time the citizen was scheduled to receive the benefits
B)  a case involving a student who was first rejected but then,later,admitted to a state-run university suing that university for discrimination in the admissions process
C)  a case involving a convicted murderer challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty while on death row
D)  a case involving a dispute between the president and the Congress over access to top secret documents

Question 7

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.

Accepted Answer

A)  Certiorari
B)  per curiam
C)  amicus curiae
D)  standing C

Question 8

During the Constitutional Convention,a "departmentalist" was someone who believed that

Accepted Answer

A)  each branch of the new government would interpret the Constitution as it applied to its own actions rather than having the Supreme Court be the sole interpreter of the Constitution.
B)  the Supreme Court should be the sole interpreter of the Constitution and that each branch of the new government would have its actions subjected to strict judicial scrutiny.
C)  the new government should have only two branches,the executive and the legislative,and no judiciary.
D)  the judiciary should appoint its own justices and the president should not be empowered to nominate Supreme Court justices.

Question 9

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)  method used to appoint the chief justice.
D)  nickname for the water fountain in the courtyard of the Supreme Court building.

Question 10

Each Supreme Court justice is assigned ________ law clerks.

Accepted Answer

A)  2
B)  4
C)  10
D)  15

Question 11

Cases ________ are NOT part of the original jurisdiction of the U.S.Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

A)  between the United States and one of the 50 states
B)  involving foreign ambassadors
C)  in which more than $1 million is at stake
D)  brought by one state against citizens of another state or against a foreign country

Question 12

What did the framers call the "least dangerous branch" of American government?

Accepted Answer

A)  Congress
B)  the Supreme Court
C)  the president
D)  the bureaucracy B

Question 13

More than ________ percent of all cases in the United States are heard in state courts.

Accepted Answer

A)  33
B)  50
C)  68
D)  97

Question 14

Roe v.Wade is a good example of

Accepted Answer

A)  judicial activism,because it was based on a constitutional right to privacy that is not found in the actual words of the Constitution.
B)  judicial restraint,because it was based on a strict reading of the actual words discussing the right to privacy in the Constitution.
C)  judicial review,because it upheld a law enacted by a state government.
D)  a class action lawsuit,because it affected more than a single person.

Question 15

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 counsel.
D)  capital punishment can be neither cruel nor unusual.

Question 16

Analyze the exercise of judicial review.What is judicial review,what are its origins,and why has it remained an unquestioned power of the courts for so long? Provide some examples of notable uses of judicial review in Supreme Court history.

Accepted Answer

There are four components to this questi...

Question 17

In a typical tort case,

Accepted Answer

A)  the defendant is not allowed to appeal the verdict if he or she loses.
B)  the plaintiff is not allowed to appeal the verdict if he or she loses.
C)  the government immediately appeals the verdict if it loses.
D)  one individual charges that he or she has been injured by another's negligence or malfeasance.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the Supreme Court is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  In 2017,seven of the nine justices were appointed by Democratic presidents.
B)  In 2017,seven of the nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents.
C)  In 2017,all of the justices were appointed by Democratic presidents.
D)  In 2017,five of the nine justices were appointed by Republican presidents.

Question 19

The first court to hear a criminal case involving a violation of state law is called a(n) 
________ court.

Accepted Answer

A)  supreme
B)  trial
C)  advisory
D)  appellate B

Question 20

In Hamdi v.Rumsfeld,the Supreme Court has ruled that the president

Accepted Answer

A)  can only declare someone an enemy combatant if he receives approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
B)  can only declare someone an enemy combatant if he receives approval from a majority of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
C)  has no authority to declare someone an enemy combatant.
D)  has the unilateral power to declare someone an enemy combatant.

Exam 12: The Federal Courts

Explain the basic structure and jurisdiction of the federal judicial system.Describe the three different levels of federal courts.How are the lower courts created and how is their jurisdiction defined? What was the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

Correct AnswerverifiedThere are three components to this quest...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following best describes the role of the solicitor general?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

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

If a defendant is charged with burglary,but admits to a lesser charge of trespassing in Exchange for the prosecution dismissing the burglary charge and forgoing the criminal trial, It is an example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following would the Supreme Court likely refuse to hear because of "mootness"?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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.

Correct AnswerverifiedC

During the Constitutional Convention,a "departmentalist" was someone who believed that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A certiorari pool describes the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Each Supreme Court justice is assigned ________ law clerks.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Cases ________ are NOT part of the original jurisdiction of the U.S.Supreme Court.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What did the framers call the "least dangerous branch" of American government?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

More than ________ percent of all cases in the United States are heard in state courts.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Roe v.Wade is a good example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A writ of habeas corpus declares that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Analyze the exercise of judicial review.What is judicial review,what are its origins,and why has it remained an unquestioned power of the courts for so long? Provide some examples of notable uses of judicial review in Supreme Court history.

Correct AnswerverifiedThere are four components to this questi...View AnswerShow Answer

In a typical tort case,

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about the Supreme Court is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The first court to hear a criminal case involving a violation of state law is called a(n) ________ court.

Correct AnswerverifiedB

In Hamdi v.Rumsfeld,the Supreme Court has ruled that the president

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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C

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B

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View Answer

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B

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