Deck 1: Law, Courts, and Politics

Question 1

Political science is the:

A) philosophy of government and politics
B) congress, the President and the judiciary
C) systematic study of government and politics
D) how government and politics are the same

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Courts decide disputes based on:

A)law
B)politics
C)a whim
B)balancing interests

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Define politics and explain why knowing a definition of politics is important for understanding our judicial system.

Answer 3

no answer

Question 4

Are courts political or legal institutions, or both? Explain your answer.

Question 5

Lawyers are part of which ring of the legal system?

A)inner ring
B)middle ring
C)outer ring
D)environment

Question 6

How do courts interact with the other institutions of government?

Question 7

One of the ways in which courts are the same as other branches of government is that they:

A)are required to act
B)engage in discretion
C)must follow Tocqueville procedures
D)are always responsive to public opinion

Question 8

The outer ring of the legal system includes:

A)lawyers
B)judges
C)victims
D)courts

Question 9

Courts are passive institutions.

Question 10

Social, economic and political forces influence:

A)all aspects the legal system
B)lawmakers
C)law interpreters
D)law consumers

Question 11

A decreasing number of controversial issues are being brought to the American judiciary.

Question 12

Lawyers are primarily involved in:

A)consuming the law
B)interpreting the law
C)making the law
D)cheating the law.

Question 13

One of the ways in which courts differ from other branches of government is that courts:

A)have the ability to set their own agenda
B)can refuse to act
C)are passive
D)are very responsive to public opinion

Question 14

In the context of law, politics is best understood as:

A)partisan affairs
B)undue personal influence
C)the authoritative allocation of values
D)corruption

Question 15

Law is:

A)rules enacted by public officials
B)the study of jurisprudence
C)rules enacted by civic associations
D)both a and b

Question 16

Examples of social policies that involve the Courts include:

A)racial segregation in public schools
B)the application of the death penalty
C)excessive jury verdicts
D)only a and b
E)all of the above

Question 17

Political scientists believe not enough emphasis is placed on the judiciary being distinctive.

Question 18

Law is often the best starting point for explaining what courts do.

Question 19

U.S.courts are both legal and political institutions.

Question 20

The term "legal system" refers to the:

A)Senate judicial affairs committee
B)power of judges to rule laws unconstitutional
C)importance of original intent
D)the many governmental institutions that address legal rules

Question 21

Provide three examples of how discretion is a key element of court decisions.

Question 22

Give an example of how the Supreme Court's decision in Obergfell v.Hodges (2015) illustrates the intersection of law and politics.