Question 1 (5 points)

Which of the following would best describe the recent conservative-dominated Supreme Court?

Question 1 options:

	a) A court that follows the lead of Congress
	b) Activist court
	c) An elected court
	d) A court that shows judicial restraint in all cases

Question 2 (5 points)

What effect has the recent removal of the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees had?

Question 2 options:

	a) It’s now easier for a nominee to get approved by the Senate.
	b) The Senate now doesn’t need to approve presidential appointments to the Supreme Court.
	c) The President is no longer able to nominate people for the Supreme Court.
	d) It’s now more difficult for a nominee to get approved by the Senate.

Question 3 (5 points)

What limits the political partisanship of federal judges?

Question 3 options:

	a) They must still make decisions according to the law, not their own opinions.
	b) They may be impeached for making political decisions.
	c) They may lose re-election if they make radical choices.
	d) They take an oath to remain apolitical.

Question 4 (5 points)

A written Supreme Court opinion that, in the absence of a majority opinion, represents the reasoning of most of the justices who side with the winning party is a

Question 4 options:

	a) prevailing opinion.
	b) concurring opinion.
	c) plurality opinion.
	d) leading opinion.

Question 5 (5 points)

What are the constitutional requirements for being a federal judge?

Question 5 options:

	a) At least 30 years old and a citizen of the United States
	b) At least 25 years old and a citizen of the United States
	c) There are no constitutional requirements for being a federal judge.
	d) At least 30 years old and a resident of the specific judicial district

Question 6 (5 points)

How is original jurisdiction different from appellate jurisdiction?

Question 6 options:

	a) A court with appellate jurisdiction hears a case first.
	b) A court with original jurisdiction decides if justice was done with the original trial.
	c) A court with original jurisdiction hears the facts of a case.
	d) A court with appellate jurisdiction hears the facts of a case.

Question 7 (5 points)

How long is a term office for a federal judge?

Question 7 options:

	a) Six years
	b) Ten years
	c) Lifetime
	d) Four years

Question 8 (5 points)

Most legal cases overall are decided by what level of courts?

Question 8 options:

	a) The Supreme Court
	b) State courts
	c) Federal courts of appeals
	d) Federal district courts

Question 9 (5 points)

What was the long-term result of the Marbury v. Madison case?

Question 9 options:

	a) The legislative branch gained the power of judicial review.
	b) The judicial branch lost the power of judicial review.
	c) The judicial branch claimed judicial review.
	d) The executive branch gained the power to appoint officials.

Question 10 (5 points)

Why have Supreme Court appointments becomes very politicized?

Question 10 options:

	a) Justices may occupy Supreme Court seats for decades.
	b) Justices on the Supreme Court can veto bills.
	c) Supreme Court justices are required to be members of a political party, according to the Constitution.
	d) Supreme Court justices can pass laws.

Question 11 (5 points)

Federal judges are

Question 11 options:

	a) nominated by the Senate and approved by both houses of Congress.
	b) nominated by the President and approved by the Senate.
	c) nominated by the President and approved by both houses of Congress.
	d) elected by majority vote in their respective districts.

Question 12 (5 points)

According to the Constitution, the federal courts can issue a decision only in

Question 12 options:

	a) cases in which the US government is one of the parties involved in the dispute, and where the cases were heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.
	b) cases in which the US government is one of the parties involved in the dispute.
	c) response to a case presented to it.
	d) cases heard previously by a state court and appealed by the losing party.

Question 13 (5 points)

In its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court

Question 13 options:

	a) placed limits on the amounts that corporations can donate to federal election campaigns.
	b) lifted restrictions in corporate and union spending in federal election campaigns.
	c) invalidated the use of union money in federal election campaigns.
	d) placed restrictions on the amounts that individuals can donate to federal election campaigns.

Question 14 (5 points)

Which of the following applies to judicial review?

Question 14 options:

	a) It can be removed when the president requires it.
	b) It refers to a court’s tendency to follow the decisions of earlier courts.
	c) It refers to the Court’s power to strike down laws as unconstitutional.
	d) The Court was empowered with it by the Constitution.

Question 15 (5 points)

With regard to the lower courts, the Supreme Court’s primary responsibility is

Question 15 options:

	a) settling jurisdictional disputes among federal judges.
	b) settling jurisdictional disputes between state and federal judges.
	c) correcting any technical mistakes the lower courts make in the cases they hear.
	d) establishing legal precedents that will guide their decisions.

Question 16 (5 points)

The power of the Supreme Court is most apparent in its ability to

Question 16 options:

	a) declare another institution’s action to be unconstitutional.
	b) issue advisory opinions when Congress is considering a new bill.
	c) override any decision of a state court.
	d) impeach federal judges who consistently ignore its rulings.

Question 17 (5 points)

How can federal judges act as policy makers?

Question 17 options:

	a) By appointing other federal judges
	b) By interpreting the law
	c) By changing the Constitution
	d) By creating laws

Question 18 (5 points)

Why does the Supreme Court agree to hear such a relatively small number of cases in a year?

Question 18 options:

	a) The Supreme Court only picks cases in which the lower courts made a mistake.
	b) The Supreme Court is only allowed 80 cases per year by law.
	c) It’s only one court and must reserve its time for substantial legal issues.
	d) It can only accept cases appealed from the state Supreme Courts.

Question 19 (5 points)

What happens in appellate courts?

Question 19 options:

	a) They only handle issues regarding the constitutionality of laws.
	b) They determine if trial courts apply the law properly.
	c) They retry cases entirely.
	d) They approve high-level presidential appointments.

Question 20 (5 points)

Federal judges are appointed for life so that they

Question 20 options:

	a) have the power to set the budget.
	b) make wise decisions on where to send troops during war.
	c) will owe favors to the political parties.
	d) are free of all influences except the rule of law.