AP GOVERNMENT
WORKSHEET CHAPTER 16
THE COURTS
1)The litigant who brings charges against an individual, corporation, or the government in a civil or criminal court case is called the
a) Defendantb) Plaintiff
c) Counsel d) Prosecutor
2)Courts of original jurisdiction are
a)Usually appellate courts
b)Usually federal courts
c)The first courts to hear a case
d)The court located nearest to litigants
3)Standing to sue is determined by
a)The Supreme Court
b)Whether or not the litigants have a serious interest in a case
c)Whether or not the case involves a class action suit
d)The judiciary committee of Congress
4)A reason for the increase in the numbers of participants in the legal system is the increase
a)In crime
b)of judges appointed to state level courts
c)of funds and groups that give poorer people more access to the courts
d)of self-counsel as litigants find they cannot meet lawyer's fees
5)Those involved in the judicial selection process include the
a)Senators from the perspective judge's state
b)Federal Bureau of Investigation
c)American Bar Association
d)All of the above
6)A president's appointment of a Supreme Court justice
a)Is for a twelve year period
b)Requires the approval of the Senate
c)Is based on merit
d)Can be vetoed under the system of senatorial courtesy
7)Supreme Court nominations are most likely to run into trouble when the
a)Nominee is conservative
b)Nomination is made at the end of a president's term
c)Nominee comes from a southern state
d)Nomination is made without prior approval of the senators from the nominee's state
8)The backgrounds and characteristics of members of the Supreme Court would support views of
a) Democratic theorists c) Pluralists
b) Elite and class theorists d) Hyperpluralists
9)The most important factors influencing the selection of judges and justices appears to be
a)Geography and religion
b)Judicial and elective experience
c)Ideology and partisanship
d)Race and sex
10)Lower federal courts of general jurisdiction were established by
a) The Constitution c) The Supreme Court
b) Judiciary Act of 1789 d) George Washington
11)The majority of court cases in the United States
a)Involve criminal cases
b)Are appealed
c)Are decided by a trial
d)Are heard in state and local courts
12)The highest federal courts below the Supreme Court are the
a)Probate courts
b)Courts of appeal, or appellate courts
c)Federal district courts
d)Civil and criminal courts
13)The U.S. Supreme Court's jurisdiction consists of
a)Original jurisdiction in federal cases
b)Appellate and original jurisdiction in both state and federal cases
c)Appellate jurisdiction over federal cases
d)Appellate over cases originating in state courts
14)A "per curiam decision" is a
a)Decision by the court not to hear a case
b)Written opinion of a case
c)Decision that resolves the conflict in question only
d)Decision without an explanation that should not apply to future cases
e)Both c and d
15)An "amicus curiae brief" may be submitted by
a)Groups that are interested in the outcome of a case but are not formal litigants
b)Lawyers representing each side of the case
c)The solicitor general
d)Both a and c
16)Judicial implementation refers to the
a)Process determining whether and when court decisions are translated into actual policy
b)Power of the Supreme Court to demand compliance with its decisions
c)Power of the president and Congress to support or oppose Court decisions
d)Awareness of consumer populations of their rights and willingness to stand up for them
17)Roe v. Wade (1973) offers an excellent example of the role of
a)Groups outside the courts in judicial implementation
b)The Supreme Court in resolving issues once and for all
c)Controversial issues in shaping the Supreme Court agenda
d)Supreme Court judges in enforcing their decisions
18)The experience of Roosevelt during the era of the New Deal illustrates
a)The power of the Court to undermine a president's policies
b)The power of a president to influence the Court in favor of his policies
c)The role of political ideology in Court decision making
d)Both a and c
19)The Supreme Court's power to declare any law unconstitutional is called the power of
a)Stare decisis
b)Original jurisdiction
c)Judicial implementation
d)Judicial review
20) Pluralists would agree that
a)The courts permit access by almost everyone
b)Indiscriminate use of the courts has led to more efficient policymaking
c)The courts are a mainstay of representative democracy
d)Both a and c
21)Cases that involve statutory construction
a)Are usually precedent setting
b)Involve policy issues
c)Can be overturned by Congress by clarifying an existing law
d)Can only be changed through a constitutional amendment
True and False: There 4 FALSE responses
22)Civil laws involve a dispute between two parties which may include individuals, groups, or governments.
23)Interest groups can use litigants to advance the policy goals of their groups.
24)The House of Representatives is empowered to reject presidential nominees to the Supreme Court.
25)Potential nominees for federal judges are typically evaluated by the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association.
26)When the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is vacant, the president must nominate someone already on the court to fill the position.
27)A president's Supreme Court nominee is more likely to receive substantial opposition in the Senate if the president's party is in the minority in the Senate.
28)Partisanship and ideology are two of the most important influences on the selection of judges and justices.
29)Supreme Court justices almost always vote in a manner akin to the ideological perspective of the president who appointed him/her.
30)Legislative courts are staffed by judges who have fixed terms of office and who lack the protections of judges on constitutional courts against removal or salary reductions.
31)The vast majority of all civil and criminal cases involve state law and are tried in state courts.
32)The lower federal courts are comprised of federal district courts and appellate courts.
33)The United States Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction over both state and federal cases
34)In order for a case to be brought before the Supreme Court, at least four justices must decide the case merits a hearing.
35)Stare decisis, in which precedents are given precedence, is a mainstay of decision-making in the courts.
36)The translation of court decisions into actual policy involves the individuals, groups and institutions that must interpret, implement, and comply with that policy.
37)Courts promote pluralism by providing a means for groups and individuals to challenge public policy decisions by Congress.
38)Judges who chart new constitutional ground on social issues are said to exercise judicial restraint.
FILL IN THE BLANK
39)In ______law cases, an individual is charged with violating a specific law, the punishment for which may be jail or a fine.
40)The court in which a case is first heard is said to have ______, where more than 90 percent of court cases begin and end.
41)The plaintiff and the defendant in a case are both ______.
42)______permit a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated.
43)______is the name of a practice in which senators belonging to the president's party may veto a judicial appointment in their states.
44)The lowest of the lower federal courts are the ninety-four federal ______.
45)The most common way to put a case on the Supreme Court's docket is by issuing to a lower federal or state court a ______, a formal document that calls up a case.
46)The third ranking official in the Department of Justice in charge of the appellate court litigation of the federal government is the ______.
47)______briefs attempt to influence the Supreme Court's decision, raise additional points of view and present information not contained in the briefs of the attorneys for the official parties to the case.
48)The principle of ______is the court principle of deciding cases the same way similar cases ere handled in the past.
49)A statement of the legal reasoning being a justice's disagreement with the majority's decision is called a ______.
50)The translation of court decisions into actual policies affecting the behavior of others is called judicial ______.
51)A judge or justice who strives to create a precedent or establish a new policy is said to be engaging in judicial ______.
52)When a court decision involves an issue of ______, which interprets an act of Congress, the legislature routinely passes legislation that clarifies existing laws and overturns the courts.
Hooray - No compare and contrast!
Answers
1)B
2)C
3)B
4)C
5)D
6)B
7)B
8)B
9)C
10)B
11)D
12)B
13)B
14)E
15)D
16)A
17)C
18)D
19)D
20)A
21)C
False statements
24, 26, 29, 38
39)criminal
40)original jurisdiction
41)litigants
42)class-action law suits
43)senatorial courtesy
44)district courts
45)writ of certiorari
46)solicitor general
47)amicus curiae
48)stare decisis
49)dissenting opinion
50)implementation
51)activism
52)statutory construction