question

What is a writ of habeas corpus?

answer

a court order that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention.

question

Most criminal cases

answer

are taken to trial in state courts

question

Jurisdiction refers to

answer

a court's area of authority.

question

In courts that have appellate jurisdiction, judges

answer

receive cases after the factual record is established by the trial court.

question

The Court's legal power to review acts of Congress has not been seriously questioned since 1803 in part because

answer

the Supreme Court tries to give acts of Congress an interpretation that will make them constitutional.

question

The two most common types of civil cases involve torts and

answer

contracts.

question

There are ______ U.S. Court of Appeals judicial districts (circuits).

answer

13

question

In general, the chief justice

answer

assigns who writes the opinion if he's on the majority side

question

Judicial review refers to the

answer

power of the judiciary to examine the constitutionality of state and federal laws.

question

To win Senate confirmation, judicial nominees usually need to

answer

have support from the senators from the nominee's state

question

Which of the following occurs during the "conference" phase of a Supreme Court case?

answer

decision by majority vote

question

Which of the following is a constitutional requirement for being a Supreme Court Justice?

answer

There are no constitutional requirements for serving on the Supreme Court.

question

In the 2008 case of Boumediene v. Bush, the Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo prisoners had

answer

the right to habeas corpus.

question

The party who brings a case against a defendant in criminal and civil courts is referred to as the

answer

plaintiff.

question

The member of the justice department who screens all appeals to the Supreme Court for the U.S. government is the

answer

solicitor general.

question

What are legal precedents?

answer

prior cases whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decision in a present case

question

Justices who agree with the majority decision but disagree with the legal reasoning will likely file a(n)

answer

concurring opinion.

question

Dr. Jane Doe delivered a baby in a hospital while intoxicated. The baby died during delivery, and the parents sued the doctor. What kind of case is that?

answer

tort case

question

In 2013, the Senate voted 52-48 to end the use of the filibuster against

answer

all executive branch and judicial nominees except those to the Supreme Court.

question

U.S. circuit court decisions are usually made by

answer

a panel of three judges.

question

If the Supreme Court grants a case a writ of certiorari, it has

answer

accepted and will hear the case.

question

The supremacy clause of Article VI of the Constitution implies that

answer

the Supreme Court may review the constitutionality of state laws.

question

The Constitution gives the Supreme Court ____ jurisdiction in cases involving foreign ambassadors and issues in which a state is a party.

answer

original

question

A negotiated agreement in a criminal case in which a defendant agrees to tell the court that he or she is guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge or prison sentence the defendant is facing is known as a

answer

plea bargain.

question

What is the name for the practice whereby the president, before formally nominating a person for a federal judgeship, seeks the indication that senators from the candidate's own state support the nomination?

answer

senatorial courtesy

question

Because the Supreme Court has so much influence over American law and politics, virtually all presidents have made an effort to select justices who

answer

share their political philosophies.

question

Strict constructionists" tend to argue that the Supreme Court

answer

should narrowly interpret the Constitution.

question

Stare decisis is a Latin phrase that means

answer

let the decision stand.

question

In ____ cases, the government is always the plaintiff.

answer

criminal

question

U.S. district court decisions are mostly made by

answer

a single federal judge.

question

Known as "the Great Writ," ____ is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion.

answer

habeas corpus

question

How can the solicitor general enter a Supreme Court case even when the federal government is not a direct litigant?

answer

by writing an amicus curiae brief

question

Justices who disagree with the majority decision of the Court may choose to publicize the character of their disagreement in the form of a

answer

dissenting opinion.

question

What entity chooses or specifies how many justices serve on the Supreme Court?

answer

Congress

question

What is the next step in the process after the Supreme Court accepts a case?

answer

preparation of different briefs

question

Why does the solicitor general have such a strong influence on the Supreme Court?

answer

The solicitor general screens most cases being appealed by agencies of the federal government and only lets some cases advance

question

In what kind of case does the plaintiff charge that it has suffered because of another's violation of a specific agreement between the two?

answer

contract

question

Which of the following cases involved the "right to privacy"?

answer

Griswold v. Connecticut

question

What is the term for a court's sphere of power and authority?

answer

jurisdiction

question

Opinion assignment is an important power of the ____ when he or she is in the majority.

answer

chief justice

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