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1. U.S. district courts exist
a. in only the ten largest states
b. to handle all criminal cases that arise in the country
c. share appellate responsibilities with state supreme courts
d. to handle trial-level federal cases
2. Which type of cases are heard in federal courts?
a. only criminal cases
b. only civil cases
c. both criminal and civil cases
d. only murder cases
3. Which of the following are the three levels of state courts?
a. appellate, district, limited jurisdictional
b. appellate, general jurisdiction, limited jurisdiction
c. limited jurisdiction, commercial, appellate
d. general jurisdiction, limited jurisdiction, district
4. According to the diagram, which two courts can appeal directly to the Supreme Court of the United States?
a. district courts and courts of limited jurisdiction
b. circuit courts of appeals and trial courts of general jurisdiction
c. circuit courts of appeals and appellate courts of last resort
d. intermediate courts of appeals and district courts
5. Accordingtoyourtext’sdiscussiononaunifiedcourtsystem,whichofthefollowingisNOTagoalofaunified
court system?
a. eliminate overlapping boundaries
b. creating a hierarchical court structure
c. having courts funded by local government
d. creating a centralized court structure
6. According to the figure provided below, why is Georgia considered an "unreformed" court structure?
a. it has neither reduced the number of courts nor standardized their names
b. it has fewer trial courts of limited jurisdiction than Alaska
c. it uses a non-standard name for the appellate courts
d. it uses a non-standard name for the trial courts of general jurisdiction
7. Why would a local court want to implement a centralized court administration?
a. it would avoid problems with jurisdiction
b. it would reduce caseloads
c. it would not allow the political party in power to use those positions as "rewards"
d. it would help to eliminate gender and racial bias in hiring
8. A court-appointed special advocate is someone who
a. serves jury duty
b. acts as a judge in special courts
c. has no official legal training
d. must complete law school before serving
9. According to Cole and Smith, what is the biggest barrier to effective justice for state courts?
a. lack of qualified judges
b. too few courthouses
c. not enough police officers
d. the fragmented structure of the judicial system
10. What is the main purpose of drug courts?
a. to mete out harsh punishments to drug offenders
b. to teach children about the dangers of drug use
c. tobring“drugkingpins”totrial
d. to help drug offenders overcome their addictions
11. Which of the following statement is true regarding work as a judge?
a. judges usually have very low caseloads
b. the typical judge is a white female
c. all judges must have doctoral degrees to sit on the bench
d. judges are usually able to set their own schedule and work hours
12. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility performed by judges?
a. setting bail
b. issuing search warrants
c. making arrests
d. scheduling hearings
13. In the United States, the judicial system operates according to a(n)
a. adversarial system of justice
b. inquisitorial system of justice
c. civil law system of justice
d. authoritarian system of justice
14. Which of the following is the most likely to occur when a judge assumes the bench?
a. base their decisions on factors other than the law
b. take a pay cut in order to assume a position on the bench
c. make more money than the highest paid private attorneys
d. go straight from law school directly into a judging career
15. In which role does the judge spend significant amounts of time behind closed doors talking to prosecutors and
defense attorneys?
a. adjudicator
b. administrator
c. negotiator
d. electoral candidate
16. The criterion for deciding whether evidence is strong enough to uphold an arrest is called
a. probable cause
b. arraignment
c. preponderance of the evidence
d. reasonable doubt
17. The court appearance of an accused person where the charges are read is called a(n)
a. probable cause
b. arraignment
c. preponderance of the evidence
d. reasonable doubt
18. Most felony arrests are decided by a(n)
a. dismissal
b. rejection at screening
c. guilty plea
d. conviction at jury trial
19. An application to a court requesting that an order be issued to bring about a specified action is called a(n)
a. dismissal
b. rejection at screening
c. guilty plea
d. motion
20. Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribesthemethodofjudicial“nonpartisanelection”?
a. judges are appointed by the governor
b. judges are selected by the legislator
c. judges are first appointed by a commission, then voters approve later
d. judges run for election and are not endorsed by political parties
21. Which of the following is true about the bail system?
a. bail is sometimes set before the defendant has an attorney
b. bail bondspersons cannot deny bail to defendants if they can pay at least ten percent of the entire bail amount
c. police officers are never allowed to influence the bail decision
d. bail bondspersons are non-profit employees of the state
22. In 1984, Congress passed the Bail Reform Act. This legislation authorized the use of
a. citations
b. ten percent cash bail
c. release on recognizance
d. preventive detention
23. The practice under which judges grant releases if the defendant is employed and has roots in the community is
called
a. citation
b. preventive detention
c. release on recognizance
d. preventive assumption
24. Upon which of the following principles should bail decisions be made?
a. accused offenders are entitled to release on their own recognizance
b. non-financial alternatives to bail should be avoided at all costs
c. reasons for bail decisions must not be made known to the parties involved
d. review of bail determinations can be made sporadically
25. Which of the following is NOT a factor in how the judge determines the amount of the bail?
a. seriousness of the crime
b. defendant's prior record
c. defendant's family responsibilities
d. admissibility of evidence gathered by the police
26. Which statement best reflects what have some critics said of the use of preventive detention?
a. it always violates the offenders First Amendment rights
b. it is always used unfairly, particularly for female offenders
c. it is unfair to incarcerate someone when we assume all offenders are innocent until proven guilty
d. the costs should not be considered
27. In the case of United States v. Salerno and Cafero (1987), the Supreme Court decided that:
a. the use of preventive detention was constitutional
b. the use of preventive detention violates offenders' constitutional rights
c. the use of preventive detention was detrimental to offenders at trial
d. the use of preventive detention was racially biased
28. What has been referred to as "the ultimate ghetto"?
a. American prisons
b. American jails
c. American courtrooms
d. American police departments
29. The United States has a ____________________ court system with a separate federal and state court systems.
30. Courts that do not try criminal cases but hear appeals are called ____________________ courts.
31. A problem with state courts is the overlapping and conflicting ____________________.
32. Judges have three major roles: adjudicator, negotiator, and _________.
33. The ____________________ system involves an active judge.
34. In a __________________, judges are openly endorsed by political parties.
35. When a judge oversees the "contest" between the defense attorney and the prosecutor, he or she has taken on the
role of ____________________.
36. When judges work with attorneys outside of the public view, they are usually taking on the role of
____________________.
37. When judges take on the role of ____________________, they are concerned with how their courtroom is
running.
38. Prospective judges receive special training in law school to become professional judges in an _______________.
39. The facts upholding the belief that a crime has been committed is called ____________________.
40. The ____________________ makes the decision about whether to file charges for particular crimes and
offenders.
41. Defendants state their pleas (guilty or not guilty) at the ____________________.
42. The amount of money specified by a judge to be paid as a condition of pretrial release is called
____________________.
43. Bail will be _________ if the defendant does not appear in court.
44. The United States has a dual court system.
a. True
b. False
45. Most criminal cases are heard at the federal level.
a. True
b. False
46. The geographic territory that defines a court's authority is called jurisdiction.
a. True
b. False
47. Trial courts of general jurisdiction handle only misdemeanors and lawsuits for small amounts of money.
a. True
b. False
48. Appellate courts do not try criminal cases.
a. True
b. False
49. Trial courts of limited jurisdiction have jurisdiction over all offenses, including felonies and appeals.
a. True
b. False
50. The fragmented structure of state courts is the biggest barrier to effective justice.
a. True
b. False
51. Few efforts have been made to reform state courts in the twentieth century.
a. True
b. False
