POS: FINAL EXAM UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. 3 Types of Law Federal Courts deal with
Answer:
1. Criminal
2. Civil
3. Public
Question:
2. Criminal Law
Answer:
= Any sort of behavior or activity forbidden by a certain law or statute
Question:
3. Civil Law
Answer:
= Often refers to disputes between individuals
A system of jurisprudence, including private law and governmental action, for settling disputes that do not
involve criminal penalties
Question:
4. Public Law
Answer:
= Those laws passed by congress and implemented by congress that might be susceptible for some kind of
dispute
cases involving the action of public agencies or officials
EX: affordable care act
Question:
5. Federal district courts: geography
Answer:
There are 11 different federal court boundaries in America
Some are quite large, covering multiple states
*Importance:* when a federal court district makes a ruling, it is only valid within that boundary
Question:
6. Organization of Court systems
Answer:
A. Federal system:
-US district court --> US court of appeals --> Request for reviews --> Supreme Court
B. State system:
-State trial courts --> state appellate courts --> state supreme courts --> Request for reviews --> Supreme
Court
,Question:
7. Two types of cases courts deal with:
Answer:
1. court of original jurisdiction (trail courts)
2. courts of appeals (appellate courts)
Question:
8. Trial courts
Answer:
the first court to hear a criminal or civil case
Question:
9. Appellate court
Answer:
= a court that hears the appeals of trail-court decisions
-AKA they review lower court's decisions
-In doing so they refer to a doctrine of stare decisis Stare decisis ’ "let the decision stand" aka precedent
-Hard to overrule lower court's ruling
-In an appellate court, no new evidence is heard
-Instead they look to make sure no one's rights were violated
-They will look at precedent in making they rulings
-Organized in 12 geographical circuits (and another for the federal court)
Question:
10. Grand Juries
Answer:
For criminal court cases, a grand jury is summoned to see if there is enough evidence to indict a person and
move on to a trail
Petit juries/trial juries: If so, case goes on to a trial jury and proceeds
Question:
11. Stare Decisis
Answer:
Literally, "let the decision stand." The doctrine whereby a previous decision by a court applies as a
precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled.
Question:
12. Supreme Court of the US
Answer:
= the highest court in the united states
-serves primarily as an appellate court
-9 members
-Appointed by the president, confirmed by Senate
Question:
13. Chief justice
, Answer:
= the justice on the supreme court who presides over the court's public sessions
-however in deliberations, no extra authority
-each judge only gets one vote
current chief justice: John Roberts
Question:
14. Article III provisions of Supreme Court:
Answer:
-Disputes between the states
-Cases involving foreign dignitaries
-Cases involving the federal government and the states EX: Affordable Care Act
Question:
15. How judges are appointed
Answer:
-Appointed by the president, confirmed by Senate with a majority vote
-Most Presidents succeed in getting their nominees appointed
-Generally over 90% successful
Question:
16. Senatorial courtesy in appointment
Answer:
= before a President officially nominates a nominee for federal district judgeship, the President will go to
the two senators from the home state of the nominee, and asks it the senators have any objections
-If so, typically the President will pull the nominee
-Not a rule to do this, simply a norm that has evolved
-plays no role in supreme court nominations
Question:
17. Roles of the courts
Answer:
-dispute resolution
-coordination
-rule interpretation
Question:
18. Dispute resolution
Answer:
-after the fact, that is after the dispute occurred
involves fact finding --> then judgement
Question:
19. Coordination
Answer:
before the fact mechanism
people anticipate the consequences, and therefore corporate to avoid them
CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. 3 Types of Law Federal Courts deal with
Answer:
1. Criminal
2. Civil
3. Public
Question:
2. Criminal Law
Answer:
= Any sort of behavior or activity forbidden by a certain law or statute
Question:
3. Civil Law
Answer:
= Often refers to disputes between individuals
A system of jurisprudence, including private law and governmental action, for settling disputes that do not
involve criminal penalties
Question:
4. Public Law
Answer:
= Those laws passed by congress and implemented by congress that might be susceptible for some kind of
dispute
cases involving the action of public agencies or officials
EX: affordable care act
Question:
5. Federal district courts: geography
Answer:
There are 11 different federal court boundaries in America
Some are quite large, covering multiple states
*Importance:* when a federal court district makes a ruling, it is only valid within that boundary
Question:
6. Organization of Court systems
Answer:
A. Federal system:
-US district court --> US court of appeals --> Request for reviews --> Supreme Court
B. State system:
-State trial courts --> state appellate courts --> state supreme courts --> Request for reviews --> Supreme
Court
,Question:
7. Two types of cases courts deal with:
Answer:
1. court of original jurisdiction (trail courts)
2. courts of appeals (appellate courts)
Question:
8. Trial courts
Answer:
the first court to hear a criminal or civil case
Question:
9. Appellate court
Answer:
= a court that hears the appeals of trail-court decisions
-AKA they review lower court's decisions
-In doing so they refer to a doctrine of stare decisis Stare decisis ’ "let the decision stand" aka precedent
-Hard to overrule lower court's ruling
-In an appellate court, no new evidence is heard
-Instead they look to make sure no one's rights were violated
-They will look at precedent in making they rulings
-Organized in 12 geographical circuits (and another for the federal court)
Question:
10. Grand Juries
Answer:
For criminal court cases, a grand jury is summoned to see if there is enough evidence to indict a person and
move on to a trail
Petit juries/trial juries: If so, case goes on to a trial jury and proceeds
Question:
11. Stare Decisis
Answer:
Literally, "let the decision stand." The doctrine whereby a previous decision by a court applies as a
precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled.
Question:
12. Supreme Court of the US
Answer:
= the highest court in the united states
-serves primarily as an appellate court
-9 members
-Appointed by the president, confirmed by Senate
Question:
13. Chief justice
, Answer:
= the justice on the supreme court who presides over the court's public sessions
-however in deliberations, no extra authority
-each judge only gets one vote
current chief justice: John Roberts
Question:
14. Article III provisions of Supreme Court:
Answer:
-Disputes between the states
-Cases involving foreign dignitaries
-Cases involving the federal government and the states EX: Affordable Care Act
Question:
15. How judges are appointed
Answer:
-Appointed by the president, confirmed by Senate with a majority vote
-Most Presidents succeed in getting their nominees appointed
-Generally over 90% successful
Question:
16. Senatorial courtesy in appointment
Answer:
= before a President officially nominates a nominee for federal district judgeship, the President will go to
the two senators from the home state of the nominee, and asks it the senators have any objections
-If so, typically the President will pull the nominee
-Not a rule to do this, simply a norm that has evolved
-plays no role in supreme court nominations
Question:
17. Roles of the courts
Answer:
-dispute resolution
-coordination
-rule interpretation
Question:
18. Dispute resolution
Answer:
-after the fact, that is after the dispute occurred
involves fact finding --> then judgement
Question:
19. Coordination
Answer:
before the fact mechanism
people anticipate the consequences, and therefore corporate to avoid them
