Deck 16: The Judiciary the Judiciary

Question 1

 There have been __________ chief justices of the United States Supreme Court. 

A) sixteen 
B) twenty 
C) thirty 
D) fifty 
E) sixty

Answer 1

A

Question 2

 From the Civil War to the 1930s,the Supreme Court was primarily occupied with 

A) the civil rights of former slaves. 
B) economic regulation by government. 
C) the rights of the criminally accused. 
D) the balance of power between states and the federal government. 
E) First Amendment freedoms.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

 In __________,the Supreme Court,in a decision authored by Chief Justice John Marshall,held that the Court could declare an act of Congress unconstitutional. 

A) Marbury v. Madison 
B) Gibbons v. Ogden 
C) Georgia v. U.S. 
D) Dred Scott 
E) None of these choices is true.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

 Judicial review is the power of the Supreme Court to 

A) contest the appointment of judges to lower courts. 
B) preside over cases in which the government is being sued. 
C) declare laws unconstitutional. 
D) begin impeachment proceedings against the president. 
E) begin impeachment proceedings against members of Congress.

Question 5

 When judges believe that they must confine themselves to applying rules stated in or clearly implied by the language of the Constitution,they are following the __________ approach. 

A) judicial restraint 
B) judicial moderation 
C) judicial bypass 
D) judicial activism 
E) judicial liberalism

Question 6

 Who was the most recent Supreme Court nominee to fail to be confirmed by the Senate? 

A) Antonin Scalia 
B) Robert Bork 
C) Clarence Thomas 
D) Samuel Alito 
E) Merrick Garland

Question 7

 The principle that the Supreme Court used in overturning Fulton's monopoly on a New York steamboat operation was that 

A) a monopoly is a restraint on trade. 
B) patents cannot be issued on recent technology. 
C) state law cannot prevail over federal law. 
D) interstate commerce cannot be regulated. 
E) the indirect effects of commerce are beyond the scope of government regulation.

Question 8

 Between 1789 and the Civil War,the Supreme Court was primarily occupied with the issues of 

A) states' rights and slavery. 
B) trade relations and states' rights. 
C) national supremacy and trade relations. 
D) slavery and national supremacy. 
E) commerce and civil liberties.

Question 9

 The current chief justice of the Supreme Court is 

A) Anthony Kennedy. 
B) David Souter. 
C) Warren Burger. 
D) John Paul Stevens. 
E) John G. Roberts Jr.

Question 10

 In McCulloch v.Maryland,the Supreme Court held that 

A) states could tax a federal bank. 
B) state militias were subservient to the federal armed services. 
C) the federal government could pass any laws necessary and proper to the attainment of constitutional ends. 
D) the federal government had the power to regulate commerce that occurred among states. 
E) the judicial branch had the power to determine the legitimate governing power in the states.

Question 11

 Prior to 1937,Supreme Court activism was generally __________; after 1937,it became __________. 

A) conservative; even more so 
B) conservative; liberal 
C) liberal; conservative 
D) liberal; even more so 
E) nonexistent; slightly more common

Question 12

 The first chief justice of the Supreme Court was 

A) John Marshall. 
B) Oliver Ellsworth. 
C) Earl Warren. 
D) John Jay. 
E) Roger B. Taney.

Question 13

 In Federalist No.78,Alexander Hamilton described the Supreme Court as 

A) the least dangerous branch. 
B) the center of power. 
C) the vital check on the power of the president. 
D) a unique body. 
E) the most productive court.

Question 14

 The Supreme Court entered its most active period with the arrival of Chief Justice 

A) Warren. 
B) Rehnquist. 
C) Burger. 
D) Taft. 
E) White.

Question 15

 Which is correct about the Senate confirming federal judges? 

A) Until recently, most judges were confirmed. 
B) Only liberal judges have been confirmed in recent years. 
C) Activist judges are more likely to be confirmed than constructionists. 
D) The president holds little respect for the opinions of senators. 
E) Senators actually nominate judges.

Question 16

 From 1936 onward,the Supreme Court focused primarily on issues of 

A) personal liberty and social equality. 
B) national supremacy and states' rights. 
C) economic regulation. 
D) national defense and foreign policy. 
E) governmental authority and federal bureaucracy.

Question 17

 When Congress passed a law that forbade anyone from carrying a gun near a school,the Supreme Court declared the law invalid because such behavior 

A) was protected by the First Amendment. 
B) did not affect interstate commerce. 
C) was not proven to be dangerous. 
D) was jealously guarded by NRA lobbyists. 
E) was protected by the Second Amendment.

Question 18

 On the issue of state sovereignty,the text states that since around 1992,the Supreme Court has 

A) restricted the ability of states to govern independently of the federal government. 
B) not overturned any laws based by Congress that contain instructions for state governments. 
C) not overturned any laws passed by Congress that contain instructions for state governments. 
D) allowed states to resist almost all federal action. 
E) empowered the national government more than when Earl Warren was Chief Justice.

Question 19

 Franklin Roosevelt's troubles with the Supreme Court ended when 

A) Justice Owen Roberts changed his mind. 
B) Justice Owen Roberts retired. 
C) Congress approved his bill to "pack the court." 
D) two justices died in the same year. 
E) he changed the wording of his New Deal legislation in compliance with Supreme Court rulings.

Question 20

 The "Exceptions" clause in Article III,Section III has been interpreted by the Court to mean that 

A) Congress can change the Court's appellate jurisdiction. 
B) Congress can change the Court's original jurisdiction. 
C) only the Supreme Court can alter its appellate jurisdiction. 
D) only the president can call for a change in the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction. 
E) Congress can change the pay of Supreme Court justices.

Question 21

 What does the U.S.Constitution have to say about the size of the Supreme Court? 

A) It specifically sets the number of justices at six, later amended to nine. 
B) It specifically sets the number of justices at nine. 
C) It suggests but does not mandate a Court of nine justices. 
D) It does not indicate how large the Court should be. 
E) It specifically places the matter in the hands of the House of Representatives.

Question 22

 There are 94 __________ in the federal judiciary. 

A) constitutional courts 
B) district courts 
C) courts of appeal 
D) legislative courts 
E) supreme courts

Question 23

 Senatorial courtesy is an especially important consideration in nominations to 

A) legislative courts. 
B) courts of appeals. 
C) district courts. 
D) constitutional courts. 
E) intermediate appellate courts.

Question 24

 The litigation involving four police officers accused of beating Rodney King illustrates the fact that 

A) some defendants are tried in both state and federal courts. 
B) some cases can be tried only in state courts. 
C) civil rights cases can be tried only in federal courts. 
D) one level of government can block the prosecutions of another. 
E) cases cannot be appealed across the state and federal judiciary.

Question 25

 Federal courts can hear all cases 

A) that the judges would like to hear. 
B) that state legislators ask them to hear. 
C) arising under the Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties. 
D) required of them by state governments. 
E) required of them by the president.

Question 26

 The authors suggest the chief motive for using the litmus test involves a judicial nominee's views on 

A) abortion. 
B) affirmative action. 
C) gay rights. 
D) gun control. 
E) states' rights.

Question 27

 Legislative courts are created by 

A) Congress. 
B) the president. 
C) the Supreme Court. 
D) the Constitution. 
E) All of these are correct. 

Question 28

 One basic difference between a constitutional court and a legislative court is that 

A) constitutional court judges handle cases that need not be decided by the Supreme Court. 
B) constitutional court judges cannot be fired. 
C) legislative court judges handle cases that need not be decided by the Supreme Court. 
D) legislative court judges cannot be fired. 
E) legislative court judges are not confirmed by the Senate.

Question 29

 Which of the following statements about Supreme Court justices and political ideology is correct? 

A) Because the job of Supreme Court justices is to interpret the Constitution, each justice's political ideology has no effect on his or her conclusions. 
B) The liberal or conservative slant of Supreme Court justices has an impact on their rulings, but a minor one. 
C) The liberal or conservative slant of Supreme Court justices can be used to predict their rulings with near-perfect accuracy. 
D) Because the Supreme Court must be objective in its rulings, people with observable political leanings are almost never nominated as justices. 
E) The liberal or conservative slant of Supreme Court justices has a significant impact on their rulings.

Question 30

 The Supreme Court reviews less than one in __________ appeals court cases. 

A) ten 
B) fifteen 
C) twenty-five 
D) fifty 
E) a hundred

Question 31

 The Court of Military Appeals is an example of a 

A) constitutional court. 
B) district court. 
C) court of appeal. 
D) legislative court. 
E) supreme court.

Question 32

 A diversity case is one involving 

A) citizens of different ethnicities. 
B) the jurisdiction of more than one district court. 
C) citizens of different states. 
D) a writ of certiorari. 
E) a writ of mandamus.

Question 33

 In National Federation of Independent Business v.Sebelius (2012),the Supreme Court ruled that states did not have to expand their Medicaid coverage because 

A) the provision left them without a "genuine choice" as to whether to comply. 
B) health care is purely a state issue. 
C) health care is purely a federal issue. 
D) the provision violated the Constitution by not requiring more state funding for the program. 
E) the provision created a tax that was not permissible.

Question 34

 In recent years,the percentage of nominees to federal court who have been confirmed by the Senate 

A) has increased significantly. 
B) has increased somewhat. 
C) has remained about the same. 
D) has decreased somewhat. 
E) has decreased significantly.

Question 35

 The Court of International Trade is a specialized 

A) constitutional court. 
B) district court. 
C) court of appeal. 
D) legislative court. 
E) supreme court.

Question 36

 When the Supreme Court ruled on President Obama's health care plan in National Federation of Independent Business v.Sebelius (2012),which part of the legislation was found unconstitutional? 

A) none of it. 
B) all of it. 
C) only the individual mandate to purchase health insurance. 
D) only the state mandate to expand Medicaid coverage. 
E) both the individual mandate to purchase health insurance and the state mandate to expand Medicaid coverage.

Question 37

 The behavior of Justices Holmes,Burger,and Blackmun suggests that 

A) presidents can sometimes be mistaken in their prediction about the actions of their judicial appointees. 
B) the Supreme Court follows the election returns. 
C) presidents generally control the Supreme Court through their appointments. 
D) dissenters on the Supreme Court have more influence than the majority. 
E) presidents are rarely concerned with court packing today.

Question 38

 There are thirteen __________ in the federal judiciary. 

A) constitutional courts 
B) district courts 
C) courts of appeal 
D) legislative courts 
E) supreme courts

Question 39

 The dual court system of the United States refers to __________ and __________ courts. 

A) trial; appellate 
B) criminal; civil. 
C) statutory; common law 
D) federal; state 
E) legislative; constitutional

Question 40

 If California and Arizona sue each other over water usage from the Colorado River,the case can be heard only 

A) by the federal waters rights court. 
B) by the Supreme Court. 
C) by the high courts in both states. 
D) by the U.S. Justice Department. 
E) by a high court of a state not involved in the case.

Question 41

 After a Supreme Court case is decided,the __________ reflects the majority's view. 

A) amicus curiae 
B) concurrent opinion 
C) opinion of the Court 
D) dissenting opinion 
E) writ of certiorari

Question 42

 The function of the U.S.solicitor general is to 

A) approve every case the federal government presents to the Supreme Court. 
B) enforce the decisions of the Supreme Court. 
C) serve as the principal legal adviser, or counsel, to members of the Supreme Court. 
D) maintain order in the Supreme Court's courtroom. 
E) direct participants in oral argument before the Supreme Court.

Question 43

 In most cases presented to the Supreme Court,the bulk of the argumentation presented by either side will be found in the 

A) brief. 
B) certiorari petition. 
C) oral argument. 
D) per curiam decision. 
E) complaint.

Question 44

 __________ is a legal concept that refers to who is entitled to bring a case. 

A) Standing 
B) Free shifting 
C) Certiorari 
D) Mandamus 
E) Habeas corpus

Question 45

 One unintended consequence of the Supreme Court's heavy caseload is an increase in the influence wielded by 

A) the chief justice. 
B) associate justices. 
C) the attorney general. 
D) the deputy attorney general. 
E) law clerks.

Question 46

 Among the current members of the U.S.Supreme Court,there are __________ women. 

A) no 
B) two 
C) three 
D) four 
E) five

Question 47

 Fee shifting is the practice of 

A) dividing attorneys' fees among all participants in a class-action suit. 
B) reducing fees if the votes of appellate court judges are divided. 
C) getting the government to pay the fees of all parties. 
D) having attorneys adjust their fees according to their experience and the damages awarded. 
E) getting the loser to pay court costs.

Question 48

 In addition to funding appeals,interest groups also 

A) organize and bring cases to the courts. 
B) explain to the courts that an appellant is indigent. 
C) help their clients avoid court. 
D) guarantee that a case goes to the Supreme Court. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 49

 In response to a Supreme Court decision governing citizens suing a state in federal courts,the __________ was added to the Constitution. 

A) Ninth Amendment 
B) Tenth Amendment 
C) Eleventh Amendment 
D) Thirteenth Amendment 
E) Sixteenth Amendment

Question 50

 A(n)__________ is an order by a higher court directing a lower court to send up a case for review. 

A) per curiam 
B) amicus curiae 
C) writ of mandamus 
D) in forma pauperis 
E) writ of certiorari

Question 51

 Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity,a citizen cannot 

A) sue the government without its consent. 
B) bring two suits against one individual for the same crime. 
C) bring the same suit to courts in two different states. 
D) appeal a case that has already been ruled on by the Supreme Court. 
E) appeal a case that was decided more than one year earlier.

Question 52

 As a result of two clear blocs of liberal and conservative justices,__________ often casts a "swing vote" on the Supreme Court. 

A) Justice Breyer 
B) Justice Stevens 
C) Justice Kennedy 
D) Justice Ginsburg 
E) Chief Justice Roberts

Question 53

 Brown v.Board of Education is an example of a 

A) taxpayer suit. 
B) class-action suit. 
C) Section 1983 suit. 
D) reapportionment suit. 
E) client participatory suit.

Question 54

 The Supreme Court will grant cert and hear a case if __________ justices agree to do so. 

A) two 
B) three 
C) four 
D) five 
E) six

Question 55

 A(n)__________ is an argument made before the Supreme Court by an interested party not directly involved in the suit. 

A) per curiam opinion. 
B) amicus curiae. 
C) writ of mandamus. 
D) stare decisis. 
E) writ of certiorari.

Question 56

 In 1974,the Supreme Court held that it would no longer hear most class-action suits seeking monetary damages unless  

A) the size of the monetary damages was very large. 
B) each and every ascertainable member of the class was individually notified of the case. 
C) both parties had exhausted all other legal avenues. 
D) the plaintiff's lawyers were not motivated primarily by profit in bringing suit. 
E) the defendant's lawyers were not motivated primarily by profit in bringing suit.

Question 57

 Federal Courts do not issue _________ opinions. 

A) advisory 
B) diverse 
C) unanimous 
D) contentious 
E) multiple

Question 58

 The most common background or professional experience among members of the current Supreme Court is experience as a(n) 

A) attorney general. 
B) state judge. 
C) prosecutor. 
D) defense attorney. 
E) federal judge.

Question 59

 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg votes with a majority of Supreme Court justices on a particular case,even though her reasoning differs from the others.She may choose to express her reasons in a(n) 

A) dissenting opinion. 
B) concurring opinion. 
C) opinion of the Court. 
D) per curiam opinion. 
E) plurality opinion.

Question 60

 The legal concept of precedent-that,all else being equal,a court case today should be settled in accordance with prior decisions on similar cases-is expressed by the term 

A) per curiam. 
B) amicus curiae. 
C) writ of mandamus. 
D) stare decisis. 
E) writ of certiorari.

Question 61

 Chief Justice John Marshall was a strong advocate of state's rights and the supremacy of state law over federal law. 

Question 62

 The activist approach to judicial review holds that justices should apply only those rules stated in or clearly implied by the language of the Constitution. 

Question 63

 Sonia Sotomayor,Ruth Bader Ginsburg,and Sandra Day O'Connor are the only current female Supreme Court justices. 

Question 64

 Legal periodicals such as Princeton Law Review and Cambridge Law Review are frequently consulted during Supreme Court cases,and citations to them often appear in the Court's decision. 

Question 65

 The Supreme Court is in session for 36 weeks each year,beginning in June. 

Question 66

 Supreme Court justices did not start serving long terms on the Court until the presidency of Andrew Jackson. 

Question 67

 In the first seventy-five years of this country's history,the Supreme Court held only two federal laws unconstitutional. 

Question 68

 Marbury v.Madison helped to clarify and enlarge the powers of the early Supreme Court. 

Question 69

 A brief is a written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it. 

Question 70

 Today,most cases make their way to the Supreme Court when at least four justices agree to hear a case and issue a writ of certiorari. 

Question 71

 At the outset of the New Deal,the Supreme Court was dominated by justices who opposed the welfare state and federal regulation. 

Question 72

 The Supreme Court reached its highest point of activism during the tenure of Chief Justice Earl Warren. 

Question 73

 Judicial review such as that which exists in America is relatively uncommon among the world's democracies. 

Question 74

 A remedy is a judicial order enforcing a right or redressing a wrong. 

Question 75

 A diversity case involves both a state and a federal litigant. 

Question 76

 Franklin Roosevelt's scheme to "pack" the Supreme Court was ultimately unnecessary. 

Question 77

 Hamilton led a small faction of Framers who spoke out against the Supreme Court,arguing that it would be dangerous. 

Question 78

 The Constitution specifies that the number of justices on the Supreme Court should be between six and nine. 

Question 79

 By the middle of the nineteenth century,the Supreme Court began to declare many federal and scores of state laws unconstitutional. 

Question 80

 The solicitor general decides what cases the government will appeal from lower courts and personally approves every case the government presents to the Supreme Court.