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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
When President George W. Bush appointed __________ and ___________ to the Court, the Supreme Court became the most conservative court in nearly 100 years.
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John G. Roberts Jr./Samuel A. Alito Jr.
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All of the following are accurate descriptions of the U.S. Supreme Court in its early years EXCEPT:
I. Many lawyers longed for the prestige of an appointment to the Court. II. James Madison in The Federalist Papers considered it the "least dangerous branch." III. Congress failed to provide the Court with its own building. IV. After sitting in New York City, the justices found themselves hearing cases in the basement of the U.S. Senate. |
2, 3 and 4
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Federal courts are not considered to be above the political fray for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
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Senators play a major role in the selection of potential justices from their states.
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Among the powers of the judiciary specified in Article III are all of the following EXCEPT
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Controversies between congress and the president
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Why did the Framers include life tenure for federal judges?
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To make judges less likely to be moved by political pressures
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Judicial review of state actions was claimed by the U.S. Supreme Court in
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Martin v. Hunter's Lessee.
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According to Article III, the salaries of federal judges
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cannot be reduced while they are serving on the bench.
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The Judiciary Act of 1789
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established the basic structure of the federal court system.
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Federal circuit courts originally were created by Congress to
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function as trial courts in important cases.
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In 1789, there were ________ justices sitting on the Supreme Court.
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six
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In ________, Congress set the size of the Supreme Court at nine.
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1869
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The first session of the U.S. Supreme Court took place in
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New York City
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The first chief justice of the Supreme Court was
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John Jay
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In spite of its limitations, the justices of the first U.S. Supreme Court took several actions to mold the new nation, including
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refusing to give advice in cases that might later come before the Court
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In ________, the Supreme Court ruled that it had the right to hear suits brought by the citizens of one state against another state under Article III, Section 2, of the Constitution.
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Chisholm v Georgia
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The ________ Amendment was passed to limit the Supreme Court's jurisdiction in response to a Supreme Court decision.
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Eleventh
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Chief Justice John Marshall tried to transform the Court into a coequal branch of government through key decisions such as McCulloch v. Maryland that
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established the supremacy of the federal government over the states through a broadly interpreted necessary and proper clause.
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Although judicial review was not mentioned in the Constitution, ________ publicly endorsed the idea in Federalist No. ________.
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Alexander Hamilton/ 78
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In Marbury v. Madison, the opinion of the Court stressed that
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it is the authority of the Court to say what the law is.
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Judicial review is a result of
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Marbury v Madison
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Before any state or federal court can hear a case, it must have ________, the authority to hear the case as defined by law or constitution.
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Juristiction
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Civil suits by citizens from two different states must show that their dispute is worth at least ________ or more before they can file their claim in federal court.
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$75,000
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Appellate courts usually
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review the legal procedures of a case
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Under U.S. criminal law, the victim is assumed to be
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Society in general
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Suppose you are injured on the job and decide to sue your employer for negligence. In that case, you will be referred to as the ____ in court.
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Plantiff
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Today, lawyers can have jurors excused for any reason EXCEPT
I. level of education. II. race. III. political party identification. IV. sex. |
2 and 4
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Legislative courts are
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courts created by Congress for special purposes.
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________ each have four district courts.
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New York, California, and Texas
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Texas is part of the ________ judicial circuit.
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fifth
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Cases heard in federal district courts generally fall into one of three categories, including
I. those involving the federal government as a party. II. those involving decisions remanded by the Supreme Court. III. those that have a federal question. IV. those that involve disputes between citizens from two different states. |
1, 3 and 4
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Each judicial district has a U.S. attorney whose main job it is to
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be the chief federal law enforcement officer.
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The major purpose of the federal circuit courts of appeals is to
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correct errors of law and procedure.
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A document containing the collected legal arguments in a case that is filed with a court prior to trial is called
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a brief
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Continuity and predictability are maintained in our judicial system through reliance on the doctrine of
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stare decisis.
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Senatorial courtesy
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describes the historical deference of the president to senators of the same political party to approve the nomination of federal district court judges within their states.
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Only President ________ was able to appoint half of the judges to the federal courts during his term.
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Ronald Reagan
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________ make up a majority of the members of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010.
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Roman Catholics
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As of 2010, the Supreme Court has had ________ female members in its history.
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2 or 4
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Although it is unusual for justices to comment about the nomination process,
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Justice Sandra Day O'Connor lamented that she was not replaced with another woman.
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The process of nominating and confirming a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court includes all of the following EXCEPT
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a requirement that the nominee be unanimously rated as at least "Qualified" by the American Bar Association.
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The two closest votes in the Senate for successful U.S. Supreme Court nominees were those of
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Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas
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Since 1988, nearly all appellate cases that have arrived at the Court have been through
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writs of certiorari
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Appeals to the Supreme Court are not automatic because the Supreme Court
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determines whether to accept an appeal and consider a case.
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All of the following are the result of the increased number of clerks that each justice now has EXCEPT
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shorter terms
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The member of the Justice Department who handles all Supreme Court appeals for the U.S. government is the
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Solicitor general
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Interest groups most often participate in Supreme Court cases through the use of
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amicus curiae briefs.
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Research by political scientists finds that
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the more interest groups that file petitions in support of certiorari, the more likely the Court is to accept the case for review.
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During conference, Supreme Court justices speak in order by
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seniority
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A Supreme Court justice who agrees with the outcome reached by the majority but not with the legal reasoning behind the decision may issue a
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concurring opinion
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The idea that judges should use their power broadly to further justice is called
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judicial activism
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