Deck 4: State Courts

Question 1

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

Answer 1

D

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Evaluations of drug courts have shown:

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

Answer 3

C

Question 4

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 5

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

Question 6

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 7

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 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

Judicial reformers oppose abolishing justice of the peace courts

Question 11

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

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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 14

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

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

Question 15

Mexican courts have a rich tradition of judicial independence

Question 16

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 17

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

Question 18

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 19

Which 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 20

The use of drug courts continues to increase

Question 21

In what ways were early state courts affected by geography?

Question 22

How do State efforts to legalize medical marijuana impact the federal government's interest in keeping marijuana a Schedule I drug?

Question 23

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