Ch 9, 16, 14, 18 Key Terms

Question 1

A case that concerns a dispute involving individuals or organizations.

Answer 1

Civil Case

Question 2

A case brought by the state against persons accused of violating a law.

Answer 2

Criminal Case

Question 3

Usually, a case in which a government agency applies rules to settle a legal dispute.

Answer 3

Administrative Case

Question 4

Unwritten law based on tradition, custom, or court decisions.

Answer 4

Common Law

Question 5

Those courts with original jurisdiction over specialized cases such as juvenile offenses or traffic violations.

Answer 5

Limited Jurisdiction Trial Courts

Question 6

Court of general jurisdiction that handles major criminal and civil cases.

Answer 6

Major Trial Court

Question 7

The highlight state court, beyond which there is no appeal except in cases involving federal law.

Answer 7

Supreme Court

Question 8

A state appellate court that relieves the case burden on the supreme court by hearing certain types of appeals.

Answer 8

Intermediate Appellate Court

Question 9

Negotiation between a prosecutor and a criminal defendant’s counsel that results in the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge or pleading guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Answer 9

Plea Bargaining

Question 10

Trial by a single judge, without a jury.

Answer 10

Bench Trial

Question 11

A trial in which a jury decides the facts and makes a finding of guilty or not guilty.

Answer 11

Trial by Jury

Question 12

The legal principle that previous similar court decisions should be applied to future decisions.

Answer 12

Precedent

Question 13

The legal doctrine that precedent set in earlier cases should guide judges’ rulings.

Answer 13

Stare Decisis

Question 14

State constitutional and statutory laws are consulted and applied before federal law.

Answer 14

Judicial Federalism

Question 15

The making of judicial public policy through decisions that overturn existing law or effectively make new laws.

Answer 15

Judicial Activism

Question 16

A civil wrong that causes harm to another person, such as an auto accident, product liability, or defamation.

Answer 16

Tort

Question 17

A group of citizens appointed to determine if there is enough evidence to bring a person to trial.

Answer 17

Grand Jury

Question 18

A formal, written accusation submitted to a court by a grand jury, alleging a specified crime.

Answer 18

Indictment

Question 19

Illegal acts that, in theory, do no one any harm.

Answer 19

Victimless Crimes

Question 20

Sentencing in which a judge exercises discretion when deciding on the number of years for the sentence.

Answer 20

Indeterminate Sentencing

Question 21

Mandatory sentencing that is determined by law, not a judge’s discretion.

Answer 21

Determinate Sentencing

Question 22

Program in which offenders are released from prison to serve the remainder of their sentence under community supervision.

Answer 22

Parole

Question 23

Instead of incarceration, this program permits minor offenders to remain in the community under supervision, or to serve brief sentences followed _____.

Answer 23

Probation

Question 24

Sentencing in which the punishment matches the crime and the characteristics of the convicted person.

Answer 24

Creative Sentencing

Question 25

Prison boot camps provide this option for young offenders, who receive paramilitary and physical training intended to shock the offender into staying out of trouble and learning self discipline.

Answer 25

Shock Incarceration

Question 26

A process by which a community, state, or nation increases its level of per capita income, high-quality jobs, and capital investment.

Answer 26

Economic Development

Question 27

Financial assistance given by a government to a firm or enterprise.

Answer 27

Subsidy

Question 28

Special funds earmarked for new, innovative businesses that cannot get conventional financing.

Answer 28

Venture Capital Pools

Question 29

Facilities that provide services aimed at nurturing start-up businesses.

Answer 29

Small-Business Incubators

Question 30

Areas of a community that offer special government incentives aimed at stimulating investment.

Answer 30

Enterprise/Empowerment Zone

Question 31

Geographically concentrated firms that compete and trade with each other and have similar needs.

Answer 31

Clusters

Question 32

An economy based in global technology and knowledge, as opposed to the old economy based in national manufacturing.

Answer 32

New Economy

Question 33

An approach to economic development that emphasizes adaptation to changing conditions and anticipation of future events.

Answer 33

Strategic Planning

Question 34

A tax on hotel-or motel-room occupancy, with the revenues usually earmarked for tourism-related uses.

Answer 34

Accommodations Tax

Question 35

Comfort and conveniences that contribute to quality of life.

Answer 35

Amenities

Question 36

The right of a government to seize private property for public use, in exchange for payment of fair market value.

Answer 36

Eminent Domain

Question 37

The enticements that state and local governments offer to retain or attract businesses and industry.

Answer 37

Incentive Package

Question 38

Requirements that subsidized firms repay some or all of the subsidy if they fail to deliver on their promises.

Answer 38

Clawbacks

Question 39

A method by which local governments use large-scale commercial development projects to accomplish social objectives.

Answer 39

Linkaging

Question 40

A form of self-policing in which the regulated firm conducts its own review of its performance and voluntarily reports violations.

Answer 40

Environmental Self-Audit

Question 41

Occurs when states alter their behaviors by relaxing regulations, lowering taxes, or reducing benefits to gain an advantage over competing states.

Answer 41

Race to the Bottom

Question 42

The simultaneous achievement of economic development and environmental protection.

Answer 42

Sustainability

Question 43

An approach common to federal environmental laws that requires states to apply federal standards.

Answer 43

Partial Pre-Emption

Question 44

The size of the environmental impact imposed on the earth and its resources.

Answer 44

Ecological Footprint

Question 45

Not in my backyard; the public desire to keep an unwanted facility out of a neighborhood.

Answer 45

NIMBY

Question 46

Put in my backyard; a willingness to accept what other do not want, because of the economic benefit.

Answer 46

PIMBY

Question 47

Abandoned industrial sites with real or perceived environmental contamination.

Answer 47

Brownfields

Question 48

Locally unwanted land use; a broad category of undesirable facilities such as landfills and prisons.

Answer 48

LULU

Question 49

Formal agreements among a subset of states, usually to solve a problem that affects each of the member states.

Answer 49

Interstate Compacts

Question 50

Not in my term of office; the desire by elected officials to avoid accepting LULUs while they are in office.

Answer 50

NIMTOO