Deck 10: Courts: Elites in Black Robes

Question 1

Which of the following is true of federal district courts?

A) Each state has at least one.
B) There are nearly 1000 in the United States.
C) Judges to the federal district courts are named by the Supreme Court.
D) They do not hear criminal cases.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In recent years, minority parties in the Senate have used the ____________tactic to deny confirmation of judicial nominees.

A) smear
B) filibuster
C) rules
D) cloture

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The founders intentionally insulated the courts from popular majorities and elections in order to

A) avoid the tyranny of the majority.
B) have an independent judiciary.
C) allow them to judge responsibly, without political or partisan considerations.
D) All of the above are true.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Supreme Court technically MUST hear writs of appeal, If four or more justices agree to hear the case they may issue a

A) writ of clouseriaia.
B) writ of certiorari.
C) writ of tempiari.
D) writ of extrodanria.

Question 5

Appellate court judges estimate that __________ percent of all appeals are frivolous.

A) 5
B) 50
C) 80
D) 95

Question 6

Of the approximately 8000 appeals made each year to the Supreme Court, the number of cases it accepts is usually about

A) 25.
B) 150.
C) 300.
D) 500.

Question 7

President Obama has made two Supreme Court appointments, both women. They are

A) O'Conner and Ginsberg.
B) Roberts and Thomas.
C) Sutter and Roberts.
D) Sotomayor and Kagan.

Question 8

A case involving a foreign citizen is under the jurisdiction of

A) the federal courts.
B) the federal courts, if damages are over $50,000.
C) the state courts for criminal charges.
D) the Immigration Court.

Question 9

Federal courts hear criminal cases that are prosecuted by the

A) U.S. Marshals.
B) U.S. Department of Justice.
C) local officials.
D) None of the above is correct; federal courts do not hear criminal cases.

Question 10

The Senate has rejected ________ of the 132 Supreme Court nominations sent to it.

A) half
B) 29
C) 46
D) 33

Question 11

Since 1803, the federal courts have struck down ________ laws of Congress.

A) a handful of
B) more than 100
C) roughly 250
D) more than 500

Question 12

The number of judges on the federal district courts is roughly

A) 100.
B) 600.
C) 850.
D) 1200.

Question 13

District courts have an annual case load of roughly

A) 15,000.
B) 150,000.
C) 300,000.
D) 1.3 million.

Question 14

Whether or not the Supreme Court takes on a case is determined by

A) the Constitution.
B) the nature of the controversy.
C) the Supreme Court itself.
D) Congress.

Question 15

John Marshall's argument for judicial review included which of the following?

A) The Courts are sworn to uphold the Constitution.
B) Article III of the Constitution establishes judicial review.
C) State laws require federal supervision.
D) The system of checks and balances necessarily requires judicial review.

Question 16

All the sitting Justices went to elite east coast universities, and four of the nine attended

A) Yale.
B) Harvard.
C) Princeton.
D) Columbia.

Question 17

Which is one of the three levels of federal courts with general jurisdiction?

A) Court of Claims
B) Court of Appeals
C) Customary Court
D) Star Court

Question 18

The idea that the courts are not engaged in policymaking is referred to as

A) the cloak of invisibility.
B) judicial restraint.
C) judicial neutrality.
D) federal supremacy.

Question 19

In recent decades, when nominees to the Supreme Court are questioned at the Senate confirmation hearing, they generally

A) state their positions on the most common political issues.
B) try to appear as popular as they can.
C) talk about up coming Supreme Court cases.
D) are respectful but try to avoid answering specific questions.

Question 20

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg's wealth is estimated to exceed

A) $10 million.
B) $40 million.
C) $100 million.
D) $1 billion.

Question 21

Three of the nine sitting justices attended _____________ university.

Question 22

The doctrine of original intent asks judges to refer to the values of the

A) ancients.
B) Founders.
C) lawmakers.
D) population.

Question 23

The principle of judicial review was established in the case of ____________________.

Question 24

In his 2010 States of the Union address, President Obama

A) congratulated the Court on the decision in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.
B) applauded the Court on the decision in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.
C) recommended the Court on the decision in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.
D) berated the Court on the decision in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.

Question 25

The Court will not formulate a rule of constitutional law broader than required by

A) the lower court.
B) the precise facts to which it must be applied.
C) the popular opinion at the time of the case.
D) The deeper understanding of the law.

Question 26

The wealth of five of the current nine justices is estimated to exceed _______________________.

Question 27

Examples of crimes that have been federalized include

A) drive-by shootings.
B) hate crimes.
C) drug crimes.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 28

Federal judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the ____________________.

Question 29

A complainant must have exhausted all remedies available in lower federal courts or state courts before

A) the Supreme Court accepts review of the case.
B) the Supreme Court decides the case.
C) the Supreme Court decides on monetary damage.
D) the Supreme Court accepts the lower court's ruling.

Question 30

Reliance on precedent has the effect of

A) giving stability to the law.
B) preventing every decision from being new law.
C) restraining judicial activists.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 31

Generally, the Supreme Court

A) will seek advice from the president.
B) will seek advice from the Congress.
C) will not advise the president or Congress on constitutional questions.
D) will advise the president or Congress on constitutional questions.

Question 32

The length of a term on the Supreme Court is ____________________.

Question 33

Judicial activists can be said to see the constitution as

A) "written in stone."
B) "a flexible document."
C) "the American Bible."
D) "a solemn commitment."

Question 34

President Reagan appointed ______________, the first woman on the Supreme Court.

A) Sandra Day O'Connor
B) Ruth Bader Ginsburg
C) Sonia Sotomayor
D) Elena Kagan

Question 35

The Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade on basis of a Constitutional right to

A) abortion.
B) due process.
C) privacy.
D) amicus curae.

Question 36

In June, 2012, the Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act, decreeing

A) the act was completely unconstitutional.
B) the act was completely constitutional.
C) most of the act was constitutional because it involved taxes.
D) only the minor aspects of the case were constitutional.

Question 37

Judicial activism refers to the idea that

A) the courts should shape constitutional meaning to present-day needs.
B) the courts should seek areas in which to legislate.
C) the courts should aggressively seek out check and balance roles.
D) the courts should uphold original intent.

Question 38

Reliance on precedent is a fundamental notion in law. It is referred to in Latin as

A) stare regulatius.
B) stare maximus.
C) stare instatius.
D) stare decisis.

Question 39

The number of civil and criminal cases begun in the nation's courts each year is about

A) 100,000.
B) 1 million.
C) 3 million.
D) 10 million.

Question 40

Impacts of court congestion include which of the following?

A) Delays in receiving satisfaction for a wrongdoing
B) Witnesses moving away, or memories fading
C) Lower costs
D) All of the above are true.

Question 41

Reliance on precedent is a fundamental notion in law. It is referred to in Latin as ________________.

Question 42

The decision in Roe v. Wade removed all restrictions on abortion only for the ____________________ of pregnancy.

Question 43

President Obama has made two Supreme Court appointments, both were women.

Question 44

The Constitutional right to privacy began to be developed with the1965 case, ____________________.

Question 45

Judicial activists see the constitution as a _____________document.

Question 46

The reliance on precedents in law is guided by the principle of ____________________.

Question 47

Most aspects of the Affordable Health Care Act were found by the Court to be_______________________.

Question 48

The U.S. Constitution reserves general police powers to the ____________________.

Question 49

Proponents of ____________________ argue that because justices are not popularly elected, the Supreme Court should avoid direct confrontation with elected authorities.

Question 50

If four or more justices agree to hear a case, they grant _________________.

Question 51

The ____________________ is the final interpreter of all matters involving the Constitution.

Question 52

An appeals court panel will normally have ____________________ judges on it.

Question 53

The only way to remove a federal court judge is through ____________________.

Question 54

The role of the Supreme Court suggests that the Court equates ____________________ with constitutionality.

Question 55

In contrast to tradition, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren was known for its ____________________.

Question 56

Both parties use the tactic of _______________to deny or delay the president's choice for supreme court justice.

Question 57

Distinguished jurists have long argued that the Court should decide the ____________________ and not the ____________________ of the law.

Question 58

Since 1869, the number of justices on the Supreme Court is ____________________.

Question 59

Most criminal cases now avoid trial through a procedure known as ____________________.

Question 60

The Senate confirmation process has become increasingly politicized since the 1987 nomination of ____________________.

Question 61

The Supreme Court is constitutionally barred from making policy decisions.

Question 62

The Supreme Court determines for itself whether to accept an appeal and consider a case.

Question 63

Former Justice Felix Frankfurter asserted that the Constitution is meaningless until a judge says what it means.

Question 64

The only type of court established in the constitution is the federal district court.

Question 65

Cases between two or more states must first be ruled on by those states' Supreme Courts.

Question 66

Only ____________________ federal court judges has/have ever been impeached and convicted by Congress.

Question 67

Federal court power over state decisions is probably essential in maintaining national unity.

Question 68

Congress justified the constitutionality of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act with the interstate commerce clause, although the Supreme Court did not agree.

Question 69

The Constitution contains enough vaguely worded guarantees to allow nearly every party to any case to claim that a federal question is involved.

Question 70

Supreme Court justices are elected by state.

Question 71

The Supreme Court is the most elitist institution in American government.

Question 72

Each of the states maintains its own court system.

Question 73

Federal law provides that every individual has the right to appeal his or her case.

Question 74

Appeal to the Supreme Court is automatic under the Constitution.

Question 75

Appellate courts do not hold trials.

Question 76

A year after the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings were over, more Americans believed Anita Hill.

Question 77

Four of the nine sitting justices of the Supreme Court attended Yale University.

Question 78

Supreme Court justices frequently become less ideological and more independent once they reach the Court.

Question 79

Both parties use the tactic of filibuster to deny or delay the president's choice for Supreme Court justice.

Question 80

Federal jurisdiction is automatic when the U.S. government is a party.