When judges interject their own values into
their interpretation of cases, what are they practicing?
E. judicial activism
What do we call the power to declare acts of
Congress invalid?
C. judicial review
Why was Alexander Hamilton in favor of judicial
review?
A. Justices needed to check the power of legislative oppression.
What system ensured that federal judges could be
independent of popular influences?
C. lifetime appointments
Which level of the federal courts system hears no
cases of original jurisdiction?
C. federal appellate courts
Which of the following terms is used to describe
a judicial ruling that serves as the basis for the ruling in a subsequent case?
a. stare decisis
b. nolo contendre
c. precedent
d. argument
e. concurrence
c. precedent
What do we call a court case stemming from a dispute
over an accident, contract, or divorce?
B. civil case
What is the term for the bias in favor of
precedents or existing decisions?
E. stare decisis
Approximately how many new civil and criminal
cases did our federal district courts get in 2006?
B. 325,000 or so
On what basis are appeals made?
C. rulings and procedure of trial court
Which of the following is true about the chief
justice?
B. assigns opinions when voting with the majority
Bush v. Gore demonstrated that
conservative judges may practice
E. judicial activism.
What tactics do justices use to mold their
colleagues’ views?
a. racism
b bribery
c. assault
d. swearing
e. none of the above
e. none of the above
In what two types of cases can the Supreme Court
hold original jurisdiction?
a. cases in which a state is a party and those involving
ambassadors
b. cases involving ambassadors and elected officials
c. cases of civil liberties and civil rights
d. cases in which a state is a party and those involving elected officials
e. none of the above
a. cases in which a state is a party and those involving
ambassadors
Which of the following are needed to win a seat
on the federal bench?
D. presidential nomination and approval by the Senate
Approximately how many laws have been declared
unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court?
E. 150 or more
What term do we use to describe the petitions
sent to the Supreme Court for their consideration?
A. plea bargaining petition
What official has the vital role of representing
the U.S. government before the Supreme Court?
A. solicitor general
Which of the following must be true in order for
a state case to come before the Supreme Court?
a. Appeals in the state court system must be
exhausted.
b. It must raise a legal question.
c. It must receive approval from the president.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
a. Appeals in the state court system must be
exhausted.
Who determines the docket of the U.S. Supreme
Court?
E. Supreme Court
What is the current salary of an associate Supreme Court justice?
B. $241,000
What is the term used for the disagreement with
a majority decision by a justice?
a. dissent
b. concurrence
c. ex post facto
d. stare decisis
e. nolo contendre
a. dissent
With major law firms offering $1 million or more
to equity partners, why would anyone want to become a federal judge?
B. power and prestige of the office
What political term is used to describe a norm
under which a nomination must be acceptable to the home state senator from the president’s party?
E. senatorial courtesy
Which legal entity had the ability to prescreen
judicial candidates in the past and still rates them today after their nomination?
B. American Bar Association
amicus curiae brief
a brief filed by an individual or group that is not a party to legal action but has an interest in in
appellate jurisdiction
authority of a court to hear cases that have already been examined in other courts
civil case
case involving a private dispute
class action
procedure by which similar litigants may be heard in a single lawsuit
common (judge-made) law
legal precedents derived from previous judicial decision
concurrence
agreement of a judge w/ court's majority decision for a reason OTHER than majority reason
criminal case
case involving a crime
dissent
disagreement of a judge w/ a majority decision
docket
court's agenda
federal question
issue covered by Constitution, national laws, or treaties
judicial activism
philosophy where judges interperet existing laws loosely & include their own values in court decisions
judicial restraint
philosophy where judges follow closely to statutes & precedents
judicial review
power to declare congressional & presidential acts invalid because it violates the Constitution
original jurisdiction
authority of a court to hear a case first
plea bargain
defendant's admission of guilt in exchange for a less severe punishment
precedent
judicial ruling that serves as the basis for a ruling in a subsequent case
rule of four
unwritten rule that requires 4 justices to agree that a case warrents consideration before it is reviewed by U.S. Supreme Court
senatorial courtesy
practice where Senate doesn't confirm for a lower federal court judgeship a nominee who is opposed by the senior senator in the president's party in the nominee's state
solicitor general
3rd highest ranking official in U.S. Department of Justice
represents nat. gov. before supreme court
stare decisis
"let the decision stand"
decision making according to precedent
U.S. Court of Appeals
w/i 2nd tier of federal court system
decisions may be appealed for review
U.S. District Court
court w/i lower tier
where litigation begins
A criminal case involves
C) a violation of public order
Most cases enter the S.C. through
its appellate jurisdiction
The individual who represents the nat. gov. before the S.C. holds the position of
