Quiz: The Judiciary
DueApr 14 at 11:59pm
Points30
Questions30
Time Limit60 Minutes
Allowed Attempts2
Instructions
The quiz:
Covers theChapter 16material fromModule 4: Week 4.
Contains30 multiple-choicequestions.
Islimitedto1 hour.
Allows2attemptsand thehighestattempt will count towards the grade.
Isworth30 points.
This quiz is open-book and open-notes. Each question is worth 1 point.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module 4: Week 4.
Attempt History
Attempt Time
LATEST Attempt 1 46 minutes
Correct answers are hidden.
Score for this attempt:29out of 30
Submitted Apr 16 at 9:38pm
This attempt took 46 minutes.
Question 1
1!/ 1!pts
Jurisdiction refers to which of the following?
The rules and principles announced in court decisions
The authority of a court to hear a particular class of cases
The constitutionality of a law
Statutory law
Common law
Question 2
1!/ 1!pts
If California and Arizona sue each other over water usage from the Colorado River, the case can
be heard only by which entity?
The Water Rights Court
The Supreme Court
The high courts in both states
The U.S. Justice Department
The House of Representatives
Question 3
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements about Supreme Court justices and political ideology is true?
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.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices has an impact on their rulings,
but it is a minor one.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices can be used to predict their
rulings with near-perfect accuracy.
Because the Supreme Court must be objective in its rulings, people with observable political
leanings are almost never nominated as justices.
The liberal or conservative ideology of Supreme Court justices has a significant impact on their
rulings.
Question 4
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following is true of judges and justices in the federal court system?
Theyare appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives.
They are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate.
They are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of both houses of Congress.
They are part of a seniority system that gradually moves them toward the Supreme Court.
They are elected by the people every ten years.
Question 5
1!/ 1!pts
The legal concept of precedent is expressed by which term?
Per curiam
Amicus curiae
Writ ofmandamus
Stare decisis
Writ of certiorari
Question 6
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following is the last step of the Supreme Court decision-making process?
Announcing its decision to the public and the reasons for it
Assigning a justice to write the decision
Deciding if the Court will hear the case
Hearing oral arguments in the case
Asking the lower court to send the records of the case for review
Question 7
1!/ 1!pts
Judicial review is the process of deciding whether a law or action is contrary to which of the
following?
Administrative laws
A Supreme Court decision
Lower court decisions
State law
The U.S. Constitution
Question 8
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements regarding state courts is true?
They are exact copies of the federal court system.
They do not have to follow common law.
They are supreme within their own borders, overriding the federal courts.
Their decisions are invalid due to the supremacy clause.
They make decisions on state law as long as these laws don't conflict with the U.S. Constitution.
Question 9
1!/ 1!pts
In recent years, what is true about the percentage of nominees to federal court who have been
confirmed by the Senate?
It has increased significantly.
It has increased somewhat.
It has remained about the same.
It has decreased somewhat.
It has decreased significantly.
Question 10
1!/ 1!pts
In which case did the Supreme Court hold that the Court could declare an act of Congress
unconstitutional?
Marbury v. Madison
Gibbons v. Ogden
Georgia v. U.S.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
McCulloch v. Maryland
Question 11
1!/ 1!pts
Public opinion can serve as a check on the judiciary in which of the following ways?
The Supreme Court typically polls the public as a basis for its decisions.
People can vote federal judges out of office if they do not approve of the rulings of the courts.
Judges often believe they have an obligation to rule in a way that is consistent with public
opinion.
The president will veto a Supreme Court decision if it is unpopular.
Congress will override a decision of the Supreme Court with a majority vote in both houses.
Question 12
1!/ 1!pts
A lawsuit filed by one person on behalf of that person and all similarly situated individuals is
known as which of the following kinds of lawsuit?
Public suit
Common action
Plurality action
Class action
Writ of mass petition
Question 13
1!/ 1!pts
If a court rules a certain way on a case because previous cases of similar nature were subject to
the same rule, that court is relying on which of the following?
Precedent
Judicial review
Strict construction
Broad construction
Judicial activism
Question 14
1!/ 1!pts
A diversity case involves which of the following?
Citizens of different ethnicities
The jurisdiction of more than one district court
Citizens of different states
A writ of certiorari
A writ ofmandamus
Question 15
1!/ 1!pts
When can the U.S. Supreme Court review a state supreme court decision?
If there are damages in excess of $1,000,000
If the solicitor general asks it to do so
In all cases
In cases in which the state is a party
If a federal question is involved
Question 16
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following statements regarding U.S. district courts is true?
They are intermediate appellate courts.
They have final appellate jurisdiction to review cases.
They are state courts.
They are the trial courts of the federal system.
They are courts of limited jurisdiction.
Question 17
1!/ 1!pts
The power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of a law or action is known as which
of the following?
Appellate review of fact
Judicial review
Judicial restraint
The writ of judicial appeal
Judicial activism
Question 18
1!/ 1!pts
Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, a citizen cannot take which action?
Sue the government without its consent
Bring two suits against one individual for the same crime
Bring the same suit to courts in two different states
Appeal a case that has already been ruled on by the Supreme Court
Appeal a case that was decided more than one year earlier
Question 19
1!/ 1!pts
What did the Supreme Court hold inMcCulloch v. Maryland?
Individual states had the authority to tax federal banks.
State militias were subservient to the federal armed services.
The federal government could pass any laws necessary and proper to the attainment of
constitutional ends.
The federal government had the power to regulate commerce that occurred among states.
The judicial branch had the power to determine the legitimate governing power in the states.
I Question 20
0!/ 1!pts
One unintended consequence of the Supreme Court’s heavy caseload is an increase in the
influence wielded by whom?
The chief justice
Associate justices
The attorney general
The deputy attorney general
Law clerks
Question 21
1!/ 1!pts
When the Supreme Court ruled on President Obama’s health care plan inNational Federation of
Independent Business v. Sebelius(2012), which part of the legislation was found
unconstitutional?
None of it
All of it
Only the individual mandate to purchase health insurance
Only the state mandate to expand Medicaid coverage
Both the individual mandate to purchase health insurance and the state mandate to expand
Medicaid coverage
Question 22
1!/ 1!pts
How did Alexander Hamilton characterize the Supreme Court inFederalistNo. 78?
As the least dangerous branch
As the center of power
As the vital check on presidential power
As a unique and distinguished body
As the most dangerous branch
Question 23
1!/ 1!pts
The Court of Military Appeals is an example of which kind of court?
Constitutional court
District court
Court of appeal
Legislative court
Alternative tribunal
Question 24
1!/ 1!pts
The United States has a dual court system, which means it has which of the following?
Civil and criminal courts
Misdemeanor and felony courts
State and federal courts
State and local courts
District and territorial courts
Question 25
1!/ 1!pts
A writ of certiorari by the U.S. Supreme Court orders which of the following to occur?
Both parties in the case to reach an agreement without further litigation
State courts to abide by the decision of the Supreme Court
A lower court to send up the record of a case for review
Congress to rewrite unconstitutional legislation
A prisoner to be brought before the court and the reasons for his detention to be provided
Question 26
1!/ 1!pts
The Supreme Court entered its most active period with the arrival of which chief justice?
Warren
Rehnquist
Burger
Taft
Roberts
Question 27
1!/ 1!pts
What does the U.S. Constitution have to say about the size of the Supreme Court?
It specifically sets the number of justices at six, but this was later amended to nine.
It specifically sets the number of justices at nine.
It suggests but does not mandate a Court of nine justices.
It does not indicate how large the Court should be.
It specifically places the matter in the hands of the House of Representatives.
Question 28
1!/ 1!pts
An opinion prepared by a judge who supports the court's decision but wishes to in some way
clarify, emphasize, or offer different reasons is known as which of the following?
Majority opinion
Dissenting opinion
A plurality opinion
A concurring opinion
A unanimous opinion
Question 29
1!/ 1!pts
Which of the following occurs when the U.S. Supreme Court decides an issue?
All other courts consider the Supreme Court's opinion in their own decision making.
All other courts are obligated to follow the Supreme Court's ruling.
Each court can decide for itself whether the Supreme Court’s ruling applies to cases in its
jurisdiction.
Congress is obligated to pass laws that support that decision.
It is written into the Constitution as an amendment if it raised a constitutional question.
Question 30
1!/ 1!pts
What is suggested by the behavior of Justices Holmes, Burger, and Blackmun?
Presidents can sometimes be mistaken in their predictions about the actions of their judicial
appointees.
The Supreme Court has practiced judicial restraint far more often than judicial activism.
Presidents generally control the Supreme Court through their appointments.
Dissenters on the Supreme Court have more influence than the majority.
Presidents are rarely concerned with court packing today.
Quiz Score:29out of 30
