POS 486 EXAM SCRIPT WITH VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
●● Appellate Jurisdiction Categories
Answer: (1) Exclusive federal, (2) concurrent federal, (3) partial federal,
and (4) proprietary jurisdiction.
●● Writ of Certiorari
Answer: An order where the Supreme Court agrees to review a lower
court's decision.
●● Appellants (Petitioners) vs. Appellees (Respondents)
Answer: Petitioners file the appeals; appellees agree with the lower
court's findings.
●● Legalist vs. Realist Debate
Answer: Whether judges can bracket partisan, policy preferences from
their legal opinions.
●● Originalism
Answer: Interpreting the Constitution based on its original public
meaning when it was written.
, ●● Arguments For Originalism
Answer: Supplies value-neutral principles, fosters legal stability, and
respects the Framers' deliberate wisdom.
●● Arguments Against Originalism
Answer: Makes us prisoners of the past, ignores compromise, and has
difficult-to-establish public meaning.
●● Attitudinal Approach
Answer: Studying judicial decisions by focusing on the justices'
ideologies and political values.
●● Justices as Strategic Actors
Answer: Justices negotiate and make decisions anticipating the actions
of other political actors.
●● External Factors in Judicial Decision-Making
Answer: Interest groups, partisan politics, and public opinion.
●● Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Answer: Landmark case in which the Supreme Court claimed the power
of judicial review.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
●● Appellate Jurisdiction Categories
Answer: (1) Exclusive federal, (2) concurrent federal, (3) partial federal,
and (4) proprietary jurisdiction.
●● Writ of Certiorari
Answer: An order where the Supreme Court agrees to review a lower
court's decision.
●● Appellants (Petitioners) vs. Appellees (Respondents)
Answer: Petitioners file the appeals; appellees agree with the lower
court's findings.
●● Legalist vs. Realist Debate
Answer: Whether judges can bracket partisan, policy preferences from
their legal opinions.
●● Originalism
Answer: Interpreting the Constitution based on its original public
meaning when it was written.
, ●● Arguments For Originalism
Answer: Supplies value-neutral principles, fosters legal stability, and
respects the Framers' deliberate wisdom.
●● Arguments Against Originalism
Answer: Makes us prisoners of the past, ignores compromise, and has
difficult-to-establish public meaning.
●● Attitudinal Approach
Answer: Studying judicial decisions by focusing on the justices'
ideologies and political values.
●● Justices as Strategic Actors
Answer: Justices negotiate and make decisions anticipating the actions
of other political actors.
●● External Factors in Judicial Decision-Making
Answer: Interest groups, partisan politics, and public opinion.
●● Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Answer: Landmark case in which the Supreme Court claimed the power
of judicial review.
