Deck 8: Judges

Question 1

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the traditional American judge?

A)female
B)upper-middle class background
C)Protestant
D)better educated than the average American

Answer 1

A

Question 2

How many states currently use election by legislature to choose judges?

A)none
B)one
C)two
D)three

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The U.S.Constitution specifies that the President of the United States has the power to nominate judges with the advice and consent of the

A)Judicial Conduct Commission
B)U.S.Senate
C)U.S.Supreme Court
D)U.S.Department of Justice

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is a common practice in large courts?

A)courtroom work group shopping
B)judge shopping
C)courtroom shopping
D)bail shopping

Question 5

An increasing number of federal court vacancies have been filled by women since whose presidency?

A)Bill Clinton
B)Ronald Reagan
C)George W.Bush
D)Jimmy Carter

Question 6

What percent of federal judges had prior government experience?

A)Less than 10
B)33
C)50
D)80

Question 7

What percent of federal judges African-American?

A)approximately 11%
B)approximately 31%
C)approximately 21%
D)approximately 41%

Question 8

What is one of the most frustrating aspects of being a judge?

A)heavy caseloads
B)administrative problems
C)heavy caseloads and corresponding administrative problems
D)working with the courtroom work group

Question 9

What term means allegations of judicial wrongdoing?

A)removal
B)impeachment
C)conviction
D)none of these

Question 10

All states that have altered judicial selection techniques in recent years have adopted some form of

A)merit selection
B)legislative appointment
C)election
D)executive appointment

Question 11

What form of judicial selection requires judges to face a retention ballot after a short time in office?

A)partisan election
B)gubernatorial appointment
C)merit selection
D)legislative appointment

Question 12

What happened to three Iowa Supreme Court justices who rule that a state law banning same-sex marriage violated the state constitution?

A)they were impeached
B)they were found guilty of ethical violations
C)they were removed from office
D)Nothing

Question 13

What form of judicial selection is supported as a way to sift out unqualified applicants?

A)partisan election
B)appointment
C)nonpartisan election
D)merit selection

Question 14

Approximately what percentage of state court judges in the United States are women?

A)Less than 10
B)29
C)33
D)50

Question 15

What do senators influence through senatorial courtesy?

A)state judicial selections
B)Supreme Court Justice selections
C)State judicial conduct commission
D)federal judicial selections

Question 16

According to Sally Kenney (2012), what does having women on the bench add to the institution?

A)legitimacy
B)ethnic diversity
C)intelligence
D)all of these

Question 17

In carrying out responsibilities in court, judges mainly react to the work of prosecutors and

A)interpreters.
B)court reporters.
C)defense attorneys.
D)stenographers.

Question 18

Merit selection is commonly referred to as the

A)California System
B)New York Bar System
C)Delaware Selection Method
D)Missouri Bar Plan

Question 19

The United States Constitution specifies that all Article III federal judges are to be chosen by which form of selection?

A)executive appointment
B)partisan elections
C)bipartisan elections
D)merit selection

Question 20

Federal judges are appointed for how long?

A)four-year terms
B)six-year terms
C)ten-year terms
D)life

Question 21

With regard to judicial elections, the U.S.Supreme Court has ruled that

A)race is a permissible consideration in drawing congressional voting districts
B)judges cannot be elected in ways that place minority candidates at an unfair disadvantage
C)it is legal to elect judges from an entire judicial district, which may, unfortunately "dilute black voting strength"
D)those who draw election districts must consider whether white voters are likely to vote for minority candidates

Question 22

Prior to the 1980s, how many federal judges were removed from office?

A)4
B)25
C)40
D)75

Question 23

Who is the most prestigious member of the courtroom workgroup?

A)the judge
B)the defense attorney
C)the prosecutor
D)the court clerk

Question 24

Which system is likely to produce judges who have held political office?

A)the appointment system.
B)the merit system.
C)the Missouri system.
D)the election system.

Question 25

In what case did the U.S.Supreme Court announce that candidates for judicial office are free to announce their views on key issues?

A)Republican Party v.White, 2002
B)Clark v.Edwards, 1988
C)Chisom v.Roemer, 1991
D)Gregory v.Ashcroft, 1991

Question 26

Who impeached the U.S.district judge?

A)the House of Representatives
B)the Senate
C)the Supreme Court
D)the judicial commission

Question 27

Federal judges may be removed from office

A)through impeachment procedures
B)through a recall election
C)by presidential decree
D)by the judicial council

Question 28

Which system is likely to produce judges who were former legislators?

A)the appointment system.
B)the merit system.
C)the Missouri system.
D)the election system.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Some methods of judicial selection produce much better judges than others.
B)Methods of judicial selection make a difference, but not much.
C)Methods of judicial selection make no difference.
D)None of these statements is true.

Question 30

How many different major ways are there for judges to be selected in the United States?

A)two.
B)four.
C)three.
D)five.

Question 31

Formal methods for removing unfit judges include which of the following?

A)impeachment proceedings
B)recall elections
C)impeachment proceedings and recall elections
D)impeachment proceedings, recall elections, and judicial conduct commissions

Question 32

The various selection systems produce judges with

A)very similar backgrounds
B)very poor backgrounds
C)very diverse backgrounds
D)very productive backgrounds

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true about judicial conduct commissions?

A)The hearings are open to the public
B)The commission has the authority to remove judges from the bench
C)The commission investigates all complaints brought to its attention
D)None of these are true about judicial conduct commissions

Question 34

According to the Breyer Commission approximately what percent of "high-profile complaints… filed by attorneys, court personnel, or public officials" were mismanaged by the federal judiciary?

A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)35 percent
D)50 percent

Question 35

What state was the first to adopt a modern and practical system for disciplining its judges?

A)Missouri
B)Connecticut
C)Florida
D)California

Question 36

A recent study of judicial voting in thousands of cases showed that in most areas of law the decisions of female and male judges

A)are always different
B)are never different
C)are often different
D)are rarely different

Question 37

If a recommendation of impeachment of a federal judge is made by the judicial council what entity may vote articles of impeachment?

A)The House of Representatives
B)The Senate
C)The Judiciary
D)The House and the Senate

Question 38

If the state judicial conduct commissions find merit to the complaint about a judge they often

A)work informally to correct the problem
B)work formally to correct the problem
C)file formal charges
D)file formal warnings

Question 39

What agency developed the Model Canon of Judicial Ethics?

A)The Supreme Court
B)The Breyer Commission
C)The Judicial Committee
D)The American Bar Association

Question 40

Over the past several decades, the composition of the bench has become

A)more diverse
B)more white
C)less diverse
D)more male dominated

Question 41

Most judges are newcomers to political life; most have little (if any) political experience.

Question 42

Judges may award jobs to friends, relative, campaign workers, and party members.

Question 43

Judges who fail to move their docket may be transferred to less desirable duties.

Question 44

If the proceedings went to trial who would conduct the trial?

A)the House of Representatives
B)the Senate
C)the Supreme Court
D)the judicial commission

Question 45

The formal powers of judges extend

A)throughout the criminal court process
B)from arrest throughout the criminal court process
C)from the time an offenders commits a crime to prison.
D)None of these answers is correct

Question 46

Judges are never elected.

Question 47

When the executive or the legislature selects judges, fewer district attorneys become judges.

Question 48

The vast array of legal powers possessed by judges often leads people to

A)overestimate the actual influence of the judge
B)underestimate the actual influence of the judge
C)understand the actual influence of the judge
D)None of these answers is correct

Question 49

Judges are the most prestigious members of the courtroom work group.

Question 50

A judge may decide that a case cannot continue on to trial because s/he believes there is no probable cause that an offense was committed.

Question 51

The Senate is the entity that votes on articles of impeachment.

Question 52

"Judge shopping" rarely occurs in large urban courts.

Question 53

Incumbent judges are very likely to be voted out of office.

Question 54

Which of the following is/are the jobs of a judge?

A)arrest offenders
B)record court proceedings
C)impose sentences
D)charge defendants

Question 55

Judges are under pressure to move their docket.

Question 56

Over the past several decades, the composition of the bench has become less diverse.

Question 57

Research indicates that whether elected by voters, appointed by the governor, or selected through merit plans, state judges are more alike than different.

Question 58

In operation, the Missouri Bar Plan increases the power and role of the legal profession in judicial selection.

Question 59

If state judicial conduct commissions find merit to a complaint about a judge, they often implement formal sanctions immediately.

Question 60

Critics of judicial elections assert that they are fundamentally inconsistent with the principle of judicial independence.

Question 61

Judges are _____ by other members of the courtroom work group.

Question 62

Judges may be impeached.

Question 63

A judge's office is commonly referred to as _____.

Question 64

In _____ elections, the candidate's political party is listed on the ballot.

Question 65

Barack Obama demonstrated his commitment to judicial _____ by nominating the first Latina to the U.S.Supreme Court.

Question 66

In Miller v.Johnson (1995) the U.S.Supreme Court held that race is a permissible consideration in drawing congressional voting districts.

Question 67

The Senate _____ Committee holds a hearing on Presidential judicial nominees before the full Senate votes to confirm the nomination.

Question 68

If a complaint against a state judge is serious, the state judicial commission may remove the judge from office.

Question 69

The American Bar Association is the national _____ association.

Question 70

When legislators appoint _____, it is quite clear that former legislators are more likely to be selected than in other systems.

Question 71

The U.S._____ specifies that the President of the United States has the power to nominate judges with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Question 72

Examples of judicial misconduct may range from a conviction for drunk driving, to failing to supervise a courtroom, to taking bribes in return for official acts.

Question 73

Evidence exists to suggest that the merit selection system systematically produces "better" judges.

Question 74

There are three major was that judges are selected in the United States.

Question 75

Judicial-_____ program helps beginning judges learn their new roles.

Question 76

Prohibition on conduct that brings the judicial office into disrepute is a requirement of canons of judicial ethics.

Question 77

Impeachment does not mean conviction, but rather allegations of wrongdoing.

Question 78

Recent studies show that threats against federal judges are on the increase in the United States.

Question 79

Judicial _____ Evaluations are an important tool for maintaining judicial accountability.

Question 80

The formal _____ of judges extend throughout the criminal court process.