Question 1

Once the Supreme Court issues a decision, both the majority opinions and dissenting opinions are recorded in court documents, but only the majority opinions can be cited in future cases.

Accepted Answer

Both the majority opinions and dissenting opinions can be cited in future cases, but only the majority opinions have binding legal effect.

Question 2

When a Circuit Court rules on a case, that ruling is binding only on lower courts from states within that Circuit, but may still be cited in cases in other states.

Accepted Answer

A Circuit Court's ruling is binding only within its jurisdiction, but it may still be persuasive in other circuits and states.

Question 3

The governments of Canada, New Zealand, and Uruguay recognize the value of freedom of expression in a way similar to that of the United States Constitution.

Accepted Answer

Canada, New Zealand, and Uruguay have constitutional provisions protecting freedom of expression and are often compared to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution in terms of the importance placed on this right.

Question 4

Court rulings, as well as law enforcement policy, have determined that private citizens may not videotape the work of police officers at traffic stops.

Accepted Answer

Court rulings have actually upheld the right of citizens to film police officers in public spaces, including during traffic stops, as long as they are not interfering with the officers' duties. However, there have been instances where police have wrongly prevented citizens from filming, despite the legal protections.

Question 5

Court rulings have determined that motorists may not flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn motorists of speed traps in the area.

Accepted Answer

Court rulings in various jurisdictions have often found that flashing headlights to warn of speed traps is a form of communication protected under the First Amendment rights to free speech.

Question 6

The history of free speech can be traced back to which time period?
A) the announcement of the invention of fire, millions of years B. C.
B) ancient Greece between 800 and 400 B. C.
C) the American Revolutionary War, late 1700s
D) the modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s
E) the abortion debates of the 1990s

Accepted Answer

The concept of free speech can be traced back to ancient Greece between 800 and 400 B.C. where philosophers such as Socrates and Plato believed in the importance of free expression of ideas and opinions.

Question 7

In countries ruled by military dictators or heavily influenced by religious doctrine, it is dangerous for citizens to do which of the following?
A) ridicule government leaders by name
B) question religious principles
C) criticize government policy
D) conduct online research on controversial issues
E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of In countries ruled by military dictators or...

Question 8

The term "revenge porn" was recently coined to refer to what alleged crime?
A) burning down adult movie theatres to protest their presence in certain neighborhoods
B) mailing pornographic magazines and videos to political candidates you don't like
C) posting intimate photographs and videos of an ex-lover on social media
D) bombing or threatening to bomb the editorial offices of pornographic magazines or the facilities of pornographic movie studios

Accepted Answer

"Revenge porn" refers to the act of posting explicit or intimate images or videos of someone without their consent, often done by an ex-partner as a form of revenge or humiliation. It is considered a form of cyber harassment and can lead to serious psychological harm for the victim. Burning down adult movie theaters, mailing pornographic materials, or engaging in acts of violence against pornographic establishments are not related to the term "revenge porn."

Question 9

If you file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court and it issues a "writ of certiorari," what has the court told you?
A) we will not hear your case; go away and don't bother us again
B) we cannot hear your case because it is outside our jurisdiction
C) we will review your case
D) we will send your case back to the lower case to be tried again

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the case and will hear arguments from both sides before making a decision.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true concerning federal courts and the review of cases from lower courts?
A) The U.S. Supreme Court is governed by the rule of mandatory review and must review every case that comes to it, but Circuit Courts of Appeal are governed by the rule of discretionary review and can refuse to hear cases
B) Circuit Courts of Appeal are governed by the rule of mandatory review and must review every case that comes to them, but the U.S. Supreme Court is governed by the rule of discretionary review and can refuse to hear cases
C) both are governed by the rule of mandatory review
D) both are governed by the rule of discretionary review

Accepted Answer

Circuit Courts of Appeal are governed by the rule of mandatory review and must review every case that comes to them, but the U.S. Supreme Court is governed by the rule of discretionary review and can refuse to hear cases. This means that the Supreme Court can choose which cases it wants to review, while the Circuit Courts of Appeal are required to review all cases that are submitted to them.

Question 11

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution provides that U.S. citizens are citizens of the United States before they are citizens of the states in which they reside, and therefore no state law can invalidate or take priority over a federal law or constitutional right. The formal name for this provision is
A) the establishment clause
B) separation of church and state
C) stare decisis
D) equal protection clause
E) Blackstonian Doctrine

Accepted Answer

The provision described in the question is the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which establishes that no state can deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws. The other choices listed are not applicable to the described provision.

Question 12

The source of law that results from decisions made by government officials such as the U.S. president, a state's governor, or a city's mayor, is known as
A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Accepted Answer

Executive orders are directives issued by government officials, such as the U.S. President or a state's Governor, that have the force of law. They are a source of law that results from decisions made by these officials.

Question 13

The source of law that consists of judges' decisions that are based on the accumulation of previous cases and precedents is known as
A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Accepted Answer

Common law is a source of law that is based on judicial decisions and precedents set by previous court cases. Judges rely on the principles established by previous decisions to make their own rulings in current cases. This type of law is also known as case law or judge-made law.

Question 14

The source of law that consists of laws that are passed by elected governmental bodies such as the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, county commissions, and city councils, is known as
A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Accepted Answer

Statutory law is the source of law that consists of laws that are passed by elected governmental bodies such as the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, county commissions, and city councils.

Question 15

The source of law that consists of rules made by regulatory agencies that are part of the executive branch of the federal government and whose members are appointed (rather than elected) is known as
A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive law
E) common law

Accepted Answer

Administrative law is the source of law that consists of rules made by regulatory agencies that are part of the executive branch of the federal government and whose members are appointed (rather than elected). Constitutional law is the body of law that comes from the U.S. Constitution and sets forth the framework of government and limits on that government's power. Statutory law is the body of law created by legislative bodies such as Congress. Executive law refers to laws or regulations promulgated by the executive branch that are not authorized by Congress. Common law is law that is developed through decisions of courts rather than through legislative or executive action.

Question 16

When the U.S. Supreme Court declines to review a case from lower courts, which of the following is most likely to be true?
A) the decision not to review a case means the Supreme Court agrees with the ruling or rulings or lower court(s)
B) the court believes the issue involved is not significant enough
C) the issue involved is a media rights case and not within the court's jurisdiction
D) this is a trick question, as the Supreme Court has mandatory review and must consider all appeals

Accepted Answer

When the Supreme Court declines to review a case from lower courts, it typically means that the court has determined that the issue involved is not of significant enough importance to warrant review at the highest level. It does not necessarily indicate agreement or disagreement with the rulings of the lower courts.

Question 17

The model of media regulation under which American media operate today is known as the
A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Accepted Answer

The American media operates under the social responsibility model, which emphasizes the media's role in serving the public interest and being accountable to society.

Question 18

The model of media regulation in which the media operate as a branch of national government is known as the
A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Accepted Answer

The Soviet-Communist model describes a system where the media is controlled by the state and serves as an instrument of the government, aligning with the description of media operating as a branch of national government.

Question 19

The model of media regulation in which the media are privately owned but subject to governmental control and licensing is known as the
A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Accepted Answer

The authoritarian model of media regulation involves media being privately owned but subject to significant governmental control, including licensing, to ensure that the content aligns with government interests or societal norms.

Question 20

A model of media regulation in which the media have complete freedom and can operate with little or no fear of libel suits or other punishment is known as the
A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Accepted Answer

The libertarian model is based on the principle that the government should not interfere with the media, giving them complete freedom to operate. This model supports the protection of free speech and press, even if it means that some information may be offensive or controversial. It is the opposite of the authoritarian model, which advocates for strict control and censorship of the media by the government. The social responsibility model, on the other hand, proposes that the media have a duty to serve the public interest and should be held responsible for any harm caused by their reporting. The Soviet-Communist model is a type of authoritarian model that was practiced in the former Soviet Union, where the government strictly controlled and censored the media.

Quiz 1: Getting Started : Basic Concepts and Definitions

Once the Supreme Court issues a decision, both the majority opinions and dissenting opinions are recorded in court documents, but only the majority opinions can be cited in future cases.

When a Circuit Court rules on a case, that ruling is binding only on lower courts from states within that Circuit, but may still be cited in cases in other states.

The governments of Canada, New Zealand, and Uruguay recognize the value of freedom of expression in a way similar to that of the United States Constitution.

Court rulings, as well as law enforcement policy, have determined that private citizens may not videotape the work of police officers at traffic stops.

Court rulings have determined that motorists may not flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn motorists of speed traps in the area.

The history of free speech can be traced back to which time period?

In countries ruled by military dictators or heavily influenced by religious doctrine, it is dangerous for citizens to do which of the following?

The term "revenge porn" was recently coined to refer to what alleged crime?

If you file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court and it issues a "writ of certiorari," what has the court told you?

Which of the following statements is true concerning federal courts and the review of cases from lower courts?

The source of law that results from decisions made by government officials such as the U.S. president, a state's governor, or a city's mayor, is known as

The source of law that consists of judges' decisions that are based on the accumulation of previous cases and precedents is known as

The source of law that consists of laws that are passed by elected governmental bodies such as the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, county commissions, and city councils, is known as

The source of law that consists of rules made by regulatory agencies that are part of the executive branch of the federal government and whose members are appointed (rather than elected) is known as

When the U.S. Supreme Court declines to review a case from lower courts, which of the following is most likely to be true?

The model of media regulation under which American media operate today is known as the

The model of media regulation in which the media operate as a branch of national government is known as the

The model of media regulation in which the media are privately owned but subject to governmental control and licensing is known as the

A model of media regulation in which the media have complete freedom and can operate with little or no fear of libel suits or other punishment is known as the