ch 12

Question 1

_____ is the process of taking legal action.

Answer 1

Litigation

Question 2

Most state judges _____.

Answer 2

are elected by the public

Question 3

Retired Supreme Court Justice _____ has been an especially vocal critic of electing judges, calling judicial campaigns “tawdry and embarrassing.”

Answer 3

Sandra Day O’Connor

Question 4

_____ courts are the first level of federal courts, which actually try the cases

Answer 4

District

Question 5

_____ courts are the second stage of federal courts; they review the trial record of cases decided in the lower court to ensure they were settled properly.

Answer 5

Circuit

Question 6

The principle of _____ enables the courts to check the other two branches of government.

Answer 6

judicial review

Question 7

Judicial review is _____.

Answer 7

not mentioned in the Constitution

Question 8

_____ allows the Supreme Court to take a vigorous or active approach when reviewing the other governmental branches.

Answer 8

Judicial activism

Question 9

_____holds that the Supreme Court should overturn the elected branches of government reluctantly and as a last resort.

Answer 9

Judicial restraint

Question 10

_____is a system of law developed by judges in deciding cases over the centuries.

Answer 10

Common law

Question 11

A judge that makes a legal decision on a case today may look at past case law and follow the concept of _____.

Answer 11

precedent

Question 12

A person charged with theft will face the rules and consequences under _____.

Answer 12

criminal law

Question 13

____ courts operate with four different kinds of restraints: they have no electoral base; they have relatively limited resources; they are by definition reactive decision-makers; and they must rely on other branches for enforcement.

Answer 13

Federal

Question 14

A/An _____ brief is submitted to the Court by a person or group that is not a direct party to the case.

Answer 14

amicus curiae

Question 15

The Supreme Court process of selecting a case for review is known as the

Answer 15

rule of four

Question 16

A party must have _____ to have a case heard by the Supreme Court.

Answer 16

all of the above

Question 17

Supreme Court Justices are inclined to grant certiorari to cases in which _____.

Answer 17

all of the above

Question 18

The official statement of the Court is known as _____.

Answer 18

the majority opinion

Question 19

“Stand by the things decided” is the definition for _____.

Answer 19

stare decisis

Question 20

Political scientists have generally found that justices’ decisions are most closely tied to _____.

Answer 20

their political ideologies