Name: __________________
1
Class:
Date: _____________
Because trial courts sometimes make mistakes about questions of law, the American legal
system has followed the British practice by allowing
a. convictions.
b. probation.
c. appeals.
d. plea bargains.
2
Which term refers to a judge's decision to adhere to the previous decisions of other judges?
a. appeals
b. precedent
c. bench
d. conviction
3
Which article of the Constitution establishes the judicial branch of government?
a. Article I
b. Article V
c. Article III
d. Article II
4
All of the following provide proper jurisdiction to have a case heard in federal court EXCEPT
a. dispute involving public ministers.
b. dispute over state law.
c. dispute over the Constitution.
d. dispute over federal law.
5
Which power, held by the federal judiciary, involves constitutional interpretation?
a. rule of four
b. appeal
c. judicial review
d. oral argument
PAGE 1
Name: __________________
6
Class:
Date: _____________
Which term refers to a request for review of a case directed to the U.S. Supreme Court?
a. habeas corpus
b. writ of certiorari
c. appeal
d. plea bargain
7
Which term refers to a crucial step in civil trial procedure that grants each party access to
relevant documents in preparation for trial?
a. cross examination
b. plea bargaining
c. discovery
d. judgment
8
Which term refers to a specially empanelled group that decides whether the government has
enough evidence to charge the suspect with a crime?
a. grand jury
b. voir dire
c. hung jury
d. writ of certiorari
9
Which term refers to the method used to resolve MOST federal criminal cases?
a. appeal
b. plea bargain
c. incarceration
d. arraignment
10 Supreme Court justices who disagree with the result reached by the majority can write
________ explaining why they believe the Court's decision was in error.
a. a dissenting opinion
b. an amicus brief
c. a petition for writs of certiorari
d. a concurring opinion
PAGE 2
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
11 Which rule is used to decide if the Supreme Court will grant cert?
a. the rule of jurisdiction
b. the rule of precedent
c. the rule of judicial restraint
d. the rule of four
12 Which famous case struck down the separate-but-equal doctrine in regards to public schools?
a. Unites States v. Cruikshank
b. University of California v. Bakke
c. Plessy v. Ferguson
d. Brown v. Board of Education
13 Under what circumstances can Congress simply overturn a court's decision?
a. if the court declares a practice unconstitutional
b. if the Court reaches a plurality judgment as opposed to a majority opinion
c. if the court's decision is based on the meaning of a statute
d. if Congress implements a referendum
14 Who is responsible for confirming Supreme Court nominees?
a. the Senate
b. the Attorney General
c. the House of Representatives
d. the Secretary of State
15 Who was the only Supreme Court justice impeached by the House of Representatives?
a. William Rehnquist
b. Samuel Chase
c. Clarence Thomas
d. John Roberts
PAGE 3
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
16 Which term refers to the ability of a U.S. senator to block a presidential judicial nomination for a
district court vacancy within the senator's state?
a. confirmation
b. congressional oversight
c. pocket veto
d. senatorial courtesy
17 Who appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court?
a. Ronald Reagan
b. Richard Nixon
c. Lyndon Johnson
d. John F. Kennedy
18 Who appointed the first Hispanic to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court?
a. Bill Clinton
b. Ronald Reagan
c. Barack Obama
d. George W. Bush
19 Which Supreme Court justice's ethics were questioned following sexual harassment
accusations?
a. Samuel Alito
b. John Roberts
c. Clarence Thomas
d. William Rehnquist
20 Who was the first African American Supreme Court justice?
a. Sonia Sotomayor
b. John Roberts
c. Clarence Thomas
d. Thurgood Marshall
PAGE 4
Name: __________________
Class:
Date: _____________
21 The commerce clause is at the heart of which major Supreme Court case?
a. Brown v. Board of Education
b. D.C. v. Heller
c. Marbury v. Madison
d. Gibbons v. Ogden
22 Which Supreme Court case ruled that African American people could not be citizens?
a. Plessy v. Ferguson
b. Dred Scott v. Sandford
c. D.C. v. Heller
d. Marbury v. Madison
23 Which Supreme Court case argued that Congress could not use the due process clause to give
them authority over individuals, only states?
a. Brown v. Board of Education
b. Dred Scott v. Sandford
c. United States v. Cruikshank
d. Gibbons v. Ogden
24 After the Court struck down several pieces of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, how did
he strike back?
a. He gave Congress veto power over Supreme Court decisions.
b. He increased the size of the Court to fifteen members.
c. He proposed a court-packing plan that would have allowed him to appoint a new justice
for every justice over age 70 who failed to resign.
d. He refused to appoint any new justices who did not agree with his policies.
25 Which case ended the 2000 presidential election?
a. District of Columbia v. Heller
b. Plessy v. Ferguson
c. Bush v. Gore
d. Lawrence v. Texas
PAGE 5
ANSWER KEY
Copy of
1. c
10. a
19. c
2. b
11. d
20. d
3. c
12. d
21. d
ANSWER KEY - Page 1
4. b
13. c
22. b
5. c
14. a
23. c
6. b
15. b
24. c
7. c
16. d
25. c
8. a
17. a
9. b
18. c