Question 1

In recent years, federal court appointments have

Accepted Answer

A)   been characterized by strict neutrality on the part of Congress.
B)   attracted very little attention from the media and special interest groups.
C)   been characterized by intense partisan and ideological efforts to support or defeat the candidate.
D)   been unaffected by ideological concerns.

Question 2

What is common law?

Accepted Answer

A)   another name for federal law
B)   law made by judges through their decisions, not through specific statutes
C)   law made by an administrative body
D)   law passed by the U.S. Congress

Question 3

A class-action suit is a legal action

Accepted Answer

A)   involving a dispute about the appropriateness of a teacher's actions in the classroom.
B)   in which an individual or corporation charges suffering because of another's violation of a specific agreement between the two.
C)   involving a dispute over the jurisdiction, procedures, or authority of an administrative agency.
D)   in which a group of individuals with common interests can file a suit on behalf of everyone who shares that interest.

Question 4

How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

A)   7
B)   9
C)   11
D)   15

Question 5

Each year, the Supreme Court receives about ________ appeals and hears about ________ of them in full court.

Accepted Answer

A)   1,000; 500
B)   200; 10
C)   9,000; 80
D)   12,000; 300

Question 6

The "court-packing" plan was the

Accepted Answer

A)   decision in the early nineteenth century that all federal courts should be guarded by members of the armed forces.
B)   attempt by the Republican-dominated Senate of the 1990s to confirm as many conservative judges as possible.
C)   attempt by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to add sympathetic justices to the Supreme Court in order to get New Deal laws upheld as constitutional.
D)   desire in Congress during the 1890s to expand the number of federal courts to ease the workload of the Supreme Court.

Question 7

The government is always the plaintiff in ________ law.

Accepted Answer

A)   public
B)   criminal
C)   common
D)   tort

Question 8

The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court has

Accepted Answer

A)   increased dramatically since 1940.
B)   remained the same since 1940.
C)   increased between 1940 and 1965, but decreased since 1965.
D)   decreased between 1940 and 1965, but increased since 1965.

Question 9

Judges of courts created under Congress's Article I power are appointed by the president for ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   life
B)   6 years
C)   15 years
D)   30 years

Question 10

The issue of employer liability for employee injuries sustained at work illustrates that

Accepted Answer

A)   there are certain areas of law that courts are not allowed to adjudicate.
B)   civil laws can only be passed through state legislatures and cannot be constructed through judicial decisions.
C)   many areas of civil law have been constructed by judicial messages to other lawyers rather than by laws passed by legislatures.
D)   individuals need not have standing to sue in federal court.

Question 11

Many Republicans opposed President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court because she

Accepted Answer

A)   supported affirmative action.
B)   supported overturning Brown v. Board of Education.
C)   was the first Latino American nominee to the Supreme Court.
D)   had never served as a judge in any capacity prior to nomination.

Question 12

What did the Supreme Court rule in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) ?

Accepted Answer

A)   The actions of a president are not subject to judicial review.
B)   The president does not have the authority to declare individuals to be "enemy combatants."
C)   Hamdi was entitled to a lawyer and an opportunity to rebut the government's charges against him.
D)   During a time of war, the president's power as commander in chief is unlimited.

Question 13

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in 1948 regarding restrictive covenants?

Accepted Answer

A)   It was illegal for homeowners to discriminate in sales contracts.
B)   It was acceptable for private contracts to have discriminatory provisions.
C)   Individuals had the right to discriminate in private contracts, but courts could not enforce these contracts.
D)   Only state supreme courts had the authority to rule on the legality of restrictive covenants.

Question 14

If a man is arrested because his home was searched by police without a legal warrant, he could argue in court that he had been denied ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   a writ of habeas corpus
B)   his Miranda rights
C)   judicial review
D)   the due process of law

Question 15

The Supreme Court's power to review acts of Congress has not been seriously questioned because

Accepted Answer

A)   Congress granted the power of judicial review to the Court in the Federal Judicial Review Act of 1798.
B)   Congress and the president always agree with the decisions made by the Court.
C)   the Constitution explicitly grants this power to the Court in the judicial review clause of Article III.
D)   the Court has been reluctant to strike down congressional laws and has overturned only a small number over the last 200 years.

Question 16

Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of

Accepted Answer

A)   senators from a president's party approving of a judicial nominee from their home state.
B)   including home-state senators in the formal vetting of district and circuit court judges.
C)   allowing any senator to place a hold on the consideration of a judicial nominee.
D)   permitting senators to officially swear in home-state district court judges.

Question 17

Through the exercise of ________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.

Accepted Answer

A)   stare decisis
B)   writs of certiorari
C)   clemency
D)   judicial review

Question 18

There are ________ U.S. district courts.

Accepted Answer

A)   50
B)   94
C)   200
D)   434

Question 19

Why has partisan conflict surrounded federal judicial appointments in recent years?

Accepted Answer

A)   Members of Congress do not want the president to have so much power that he can place anyone he wants on the federal bench.
B)   Public opinion has not been favorable toward most of the recent presidents' nominees.
C)   There have not been enough minority nominees, including women.
D)   The federal courts play an important role in shaping American law and politics.

Question 20

What is the most frequent and best-known action of Supreme Court justices in their role as circuit justices?

Accepted Answer

A)   vetting cases for the Supreme Court
B)   hearing challenges to state laws
C)   reviewing requests for stays of execution
D)   overturning laws passed by Congress

Exam 15: The Federal Courts

The "court-packing" plan was the

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Judges of courts created under Congress's Article I power are appointed by the president for ________.

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How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?

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What is the most frequent and best-known action of Supreme Court justices in their role as circuit justices?

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Senatorial courtesy describes the practice of

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Why has partisan conflict surrounded federal judicial appointments in recent years?

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Many Republicans opposed President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court because she

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A class-action suit is a legal action

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Through the exercise of ________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.

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The issue of employer liability for employee injuries sustained at work illustrates that

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What is common law?

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Each year, the Supreme Court receives about ________ appeals and hears about ________ of them in full court.

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In recent years, federal court appointments have

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There are ________ U.S. district courts.

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The Supreme Court's power to review acts of Congress has not been seriously questioned because

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What did the Supreme Court rule in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) ?

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The government is always the plaintiff in ________ law.

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If a man is arrested because his home was searched by police without a legal warrant, he could argue in court that he had been denied ________.

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What was the Supreme Court's ruling in 1948 regarding restrictive covenants?

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The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court has

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Each year, the Supreme Court receives about appeals and hears about of them in full court.

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