Deck 3: Court Organization

Question 1

Article III courts include which of the following?

A) U.S. District Courts.
B) U.S. Supreme Court.
C) Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Judge Bigot made sexist statements to the attorneys from the bench. She could be removed from office by:

A) Legislative address.
B) Quo warranto proceedings.
C) Judicial Conduct Boards with proper authority.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following does not accurately describe our judicial system?

A) Adversarial.
B) Passive.
C) Apolitical.
D) Limited as to authority.
E) All of the above.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The president nominates and the Senate approves all federal judges except:

A) Bankruptcy judges.
B) Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Armed Services.
C) Judges of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
D) Magistrate judges.
E) A and D.

Question 5

Federal courts' jurisdiction over bankruptcy and admiralty cases is:

A) Concurrent.
B) Exclusive.
C) Appellate only.
D) Geographical only.
E) Non-existent.

Question 6

A plan for selection of judges that combines nomination by commission, appointment by the governor, and election by the people is called the:

A) Texas Plan.
B) Missouri Plan.
C) New England Plan.
D) South Carolina Plan.
E) New Mexico Plan.

Question 7

Which of the following is correct?

A) Original jurisdiction refers to the power of the court to initially decide a case.
B) Exclusive jurisdiction exists when one court or level of court has authority to decide a particular case.
C) Final jurisdiction refers to the court of last resort.
D) Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts share power.
E) All of the above.

Question 8

Which of the following may influence judicial elections?

A) Money that comes in the form of campaign contributions from potential litigants.
B) Name recognition, even if the name is actually known because of someone prominent in another field.
C) Lack of specific knowledge of the judge's record on the part of the public.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 9

Appellate courts:

A) Have only one judge.
B) Decide the facts.
C) Have juries.
D) Primarily decide cases under original jurisdiction.
E) None of the above.

Question 10

The function of an appellate judge is to:

A) Assist the parties in selecting a jury.
B) Render the initial decision in the case.
C) Determine the facts and apply the law.
D) Review the decisions of the lower court to determine if the law was properly applied.
E) All of the above.

Question 11

The role of senatorial courtesy in judicial appointments is most important at which level of federal courts?

A) Supreme Court.
B) Courts of Appeals.
C) District Courts.
D) Magistrate judges.
E) Bankruptcy judges.

Question 12

State law is important because:

A) It decides more questions that touch people personally.
B) It cannot be overridden by federal statutes.
C) It allows the federal government to take care of the really important issues in our lives.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 13

State court judges, either appointed or elected, often have a very long tenure in office. Judges may generally be removed from office through:

A) Impeachment by the appropriate body.
B) Legislative address in which the legislature merely passes a bill removing the individual from office.
C) Recall that involves a special election held after the gathering of the requisite number of signatures on a petition.
D) Action by a judicial disciplinary board after the judge has been given procedural due process in the form of a hearing.
E) All of the above.

Question 14

Popular election of judges:

A) Occurs at all levels of American courts.
B) Occurs in many states courts but not in federal courts.
C) Has been suggested as a reform but is not currently used.
D) Occurs only in federal courts.
E) Has been totally supplanted by the Missouri Plan.

Question 15

Define jurisdiction and its elements. Identify and give examples of various types of jurisdiction.

Question 16

Identify and discuss the five tiers of the state court system including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction of each court and the qualifications of the judges.

Question 17

Trace the route of an appeal through the state courts from a Justice of the Peace court.

Question 18

Identify and then compare and contrast Article I and Article III courts, giving specific examples of each.

Question 19

Discuss Article III courts and their jurisdiction.

Question 20

Discuss the process of judicial selection on both the federal and state levels.

Question 21

Identify and discuss the removal of judges.