Deck 4: State Courts

Question 1

Describe the primary criticism of municipal courts and compare this to the goals of juvenile courts.

Answer 1

Not Answer

Question 2

The largest number of courts in the United States are courts of:

A) general jurisdiction
B) appellate jurisdiction
C) superior jurisdiction
D) limited jurisdiction

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Use the War on Drugs to illustrate the tension between the legislative and judicial branches of government trying to solve social problems.

Answer 3

Not Answer

Question 4

Which of the following is not true about American courts after the Civil War?

A) The growth of cities meant that more complex cases went to the courts.
B) Many new courts were added.
C) Specialized courts were created.
D) The addition of new courts was carefully planned.

Question 5

The use of drug courts continues to increase.

Question 6

Mexican courts have a rich tradition of judicial independence.

Question 7

The treatment approach to drug offenders is intended to:

A) increase the speed with which cases are heard
B) reduce the likelihood of rearrest
C) increase the criminal penalties handed out to drug offenders
D) reduce the discretion of the judge

Question 8

State court researchers are finding that:

A) state courts interact only with federal courts
B) state courts interact with other institutions
C) state court judges consider only the law
D) state and federal courts operate the same way

Question 9

In any given year, the largest number of cases is heard in:

A) federal courts
B) state supreme courts
C) U.S. district courts
D) state trial courts

Question 10

Traffic cases represent only a small portion of the cases heard by lower courts each year.

Question 11

Kimbrough v. United States (2007) reaffirmed the authority of federal judges to view the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as advisory.

Question 12

Restorative justice programs in juvenile courts do not include a focus on:

A) healing the victim
B) protecting the offender
C) involving stakeholders
D) transforming traditional views of justice

Question 13

Which one of the following statements best describes colonial courts?

A) They acted independently from the governor.
B) They were rather simple institutions.
C) They handled many cases.
D) They were dominated by legal experts.

Question 14

Committing a status offense involves:

A) agreeing to seek judicial compensation
B) more than three conspiring juveniles
C) an act that is illegal only for juveniles
D) breaking adult criminal laws

Question 15

Judicial reformers oppose abolishing justice of the peace courts.

Question 16

A court is said to have "limited jurisdiction" when it:

A) deals only with the pretrial stages of a case
B) hears only juvenile matters
C) handles only minor cases
D) hears a limited number of cases in a given year

Question 17

Compare and contrast the organization of the [insert your state court system] Court system with that of the Federal Judiciary.

Question 18

Evaluations of drug courts have shown:

A) only success
B) only failure
C) some successes and some failures
D) no end in sight.

Question 19

Tort (personal injury) cases:

A) make up a huge percentage of the trial court docket
B) make up a very small percentage of the trial court docket
C) are not heard by trial courts
D) always involve an international plaintiff

Question 20

Drug courts were established to hand out tougher penalties in drug cases.

Question 21

Describe three ways that drug courts are distinctive from the typical court.

Question 22

In what ways were early state courts affected by geography?