Name ___________________________ Class _____________________ Date _______
CHAPTER 18: THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Test A
3
A. Key Terms
Directions: Match each term in Column II with the number of the correct definition
in Column I. (3 points each)
Column I
Column II
______ 1. person against whom a suit is filed
a. appellate jurisdiction
______ 2. the person who files a suit
b. brief
______ 3. power of a court to review decisions of
lower courts
c. civil case
______ 4. power of a court to hear a case first
d. civilian tribunal
e. court-martial
______ 5. a list of cases to be heard by a court
f. defendant
______ 6. a case involving a noncriminal matter
g. docket
______ 7. a written statement filed by each party to a
case before oral arguments are made
h. original jurisdiction
______ 8. a Supreme Court order to a lower court to
send up a case record for review
j. writ of certiorari
i. plaintiff
______ 9. a court operating as part of the judicial
branch, entirely separate from the military
______ 10. a court composed of military personnel to
try those accused of violating military law
B. Main Ideas
Directions: Write the letter of the best answer or ending in each blank. (4 points each)
______ 11. The U.S. court system is called a dual court system because it has both
a. a Supreme Court and inferior courts. c. State and federal courts.
b. trial courts and courts of appeals.
d. civilian and military courts.
______ 12. Which courts can exercise both original and appellate jurisdiction?
a. federal district courts
c. the Supreme Court
b. federal courts of appeals
d. all of the constitutional courts
______ 13. Which of the following officials are appointed for life?
a. judges of the constitutional courts
c. U.S. magistrates
b. judges of the special courts
d. U.S. marshals
______ 14. When the U.S. government is sued, the case is first heard in the
a. Court of Federal Claims.
c. Supreme Court.
b. Court of Appeals.
d. federal district court.
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Name ___________________________ Class _____________________ Date _______
CHAPTER 18: THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Test A (continued)
______ 15. Which of the following courts would try customs cases?
a. the Court of Federal Claims
b. the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
c. the Court of International Trade
d. the U.S. Tax Court
______ 16. Which opinions are issued for a unanimous Supreme Court decision?
a. a majority opinion and a dissenting opinion
b. a concurring opinion only
c. a majority opinion only or a majority and concurring opinions
d. a majority opinion, a concurring opinion, and a dissenting opinion
______ 17. The courts set up by Congress for the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the
Northern Mariana Islands are called
a. district courts. c. territorial courts.
b. island courts
d. protectorate courts.
______ 18. Federal and State courts have concurrent jurisdiction in cases in which
a. an American citizen sues the citizen of another country.
b. a citizen from one State sues the citizen of another State for damages
greater than $75,000.
c. an American citizen sues another citizen in the same State.
d. a citizen from one State sues the citizen of another State for damages
less than $75,000.
Supreme Court
Appeals from
the Highest
State Courts
U.S. Court of
Appeals for the
Armed Forces
U.S. Court of
Appeals for the
Federal Circuit
12 U.S. Courts of
Appeals
Military
Courts
U.S. Court of
International
Trade
U.S. Court of
Federal Claims
94 District
Courts
U.S. Court of
Appeals for
Veterans Claims
Appeals
from Federal
Regulatory
Agencies
U.S. Tax Court
Territorial Courts
Courts of the
District of
Columbia
______ 19. Based on the diagram above, appeals are made to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit from all of the following courts EXCEPT
a. the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
b. the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
c. the U.S. Tax Court.
d. the U.S. Court of International Trade.
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Name ___________________________ Class _____________________ Date _______
CHAPTER 18: THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Test A (continued)
______ 20. Which of the following shows a correct appellate path?
a. district court
U.S. Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for
Supreme Court
the Federal Circuit
b. territorial court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Supreme Court
c. U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
U.S. Court of Federal
Supreme Court
Claims
d. military court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Supreme Court
C. Document-Based Question
Directions: Answer the following question on the back of this paper or on
a separate sheet of paper. (7 points)
It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to
say what the law is. . . . If two laws conflict with each other, the courts
must decide on the operation of each. So if a law be in opposition to the
constitution: if both the law and the constitution apply to a particular
case . . . the court must determine which of these conflicting rules gov­
erns the case. This is of the very essence of judicial duty. . . .
—Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
21. What power of the courts does this quote describe? Explain why the Marbury
v. Madison case was so significant.
D. Critical Thinking
Directions: Answer the following question on the back of this paper or on
a separate sheet of paper. (7 points)
22. Explain the difference between judicial restraint and judicial activism.
E. Essay
Directions: Answer the following question on the back of this paper or on a separate
sheet of paper. (16 points) When considering this question, think about what you
have learned about the federal court system from your textbook, class work, and
other sources. You may wish to include information from current events to support
your argument.
23. Does the structure of the federal court system allow it to administer justice effectively? Explain.
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