Legal System Study Guide

Chapter 15

  1. What are the purposes of laws?
  2. What are the four characteristics of a good law?
  3. Why were ancient laws so harsh?
  4. What was the first known written law code?
  5. What set of laws did Napoleon base his code of laws on?
  6. What is common law?
  7. What is precedent?
  8. What is a statute?
  9. What are the different types of laws? (5)

10. What is a plaintiff? Who is always the plaintiff in criminal cases?

  1. What is a defendant?
  2. What is a felony? Give an example.
  3. What is a misdemeanor? Give an example.
  4. What is a crime against person?
  5. What is a crime against property?
  6. What is tort law?
  7. What is family law?
  8. Explain the John Peter Zenger case.
  9. What is a stare decisi?
  10. What are the three basic legal rights that belong to Americans found in Article 1 of the constitution?
  11. What is due process of law?
  12. Why do you think it was important to the framers of the constitution to include the right to a writ of habeas corpus?
  13. What are some of the legal responsibilities that we must practice as American citizens?
  14. What amendments guarantee the rights to the accused?
  15. Which of the rights included in the Miranda warning do you think is most important?
  16. What amendment is the Mapp v. Ohio case about?
  17. What amendment is the Miranda v. Arizona case about?
  18. What amendment is the Gideon v. Wainwright case about?
  19. What amendment is the Furman v. Georgia case about?

Study Guide

Chapter 16 Study Guide

  1. What does it mean when one says, “The judicial branch of government is charged with interpreting the law”?
  2. If there were no civil courts, how might people settle civil disputes?
  3. What might cause a person to file a civil lawsuit?
  4. Chart a civil case.
  5. Who sues by filing a complaint with the court?
  6. What does the complaint name?
  7. What is the summons?
  8. What is the discovery period?
  9. What are some examples of discovery?
  10. What is a pretrial hearing?
  11. What is a settlement?
  12. Can you appeal a civil case to a higher court?
  13. What kinds of crime harm another person?
  14. What kind of crimes might be seen as harming society as a whole?
  15. In criminal cases who is always the prosecution.
  16. What groups is a part of the criminal justice system?
  17. What does a penal code do?
  18. What are the three types of crimes?
  19. What are the four penalties for crimes?
  20. What is an indeterminate sentencing?
  21. What is a mandatory sentencing?
  22. Diagram the criminal justice procedure.
  23. What parts of the Bill of Rights addresses issues relevant to the criminal procedure?
  24. What is the purpose of cross examination?
  25. What part of a criminal trial process is best illustration of “adversarial nature”?
  26. What is the difference between jury trial and bench trial?
  27. What is an acquittal?
  28. What is the difference in an acquittal and hung jury (mistrial)?
  29. Can one appeal in criminal court cases?
  30. What is considered a juvenile in NC?
  31. What defines the age of a juvenile (state or federal government)?
  32. What is a juvenile delinquent?
  33. Why does the legal system treat juvenile offenders differently?
  34. What is the main goal of the juvenile justice system?
  35. What are the two different types of cases the juvenile courts handle?
  36. Who is present at a juvenile trial?
  37. What did the courts rule about juveniles in the In Re Gault cases of 1967?
  38. What is the difference between the juvenile and adult legal process?
  39. What are the rehab options for juveniles?

Study Guide

CHAPTER 17 Study Guide

  1. What is the Internet?
  2. What is the WWW?
  3. What are web pages?
  4. What is E-government?
  5. What is an archive?
  6. What is a news group?
  7. Why would a citizen create a political blog?
  8. Write the Web address for the Democrats and Republican web pages official sites?
  9. What are grassroots web sites?
  10. What does one have to be careful of when visiting a party’s web site?
  11. What kind of Internet sites does China’s authoritarian government restrict?
  12. What are the two dangers of the Internet?
  13. What is the digital divide?
  14. How do extremist groups use the Internet?
  15. How is our privacy threatened by the Internet?
  16. List and describe the acts pertaining to the Internet.
  17. HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTED TO REGULATE THE INTERNET?
  18. HOW IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTED?
  19. EXPLAIN THE METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER V. GRAHSLER CASE.
  20. EXPLAIN THE ISSUE OR PROBLEM OF E COMMERCE.
  21. WHAT ARE SCHOOL FILTERS? DO THEY WORK?
  22. WHY DO WE HAVE SCHOOL FILTERS?
  23. WHAT IS PARENTAL REVIEW?