GOVT 404 FINAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ precedent. Answer: prior decisions of the same court or a higher court
that a judge must follow
◉ stare decisis. Answer: "stand by the thing decided"; related to the
concept of precedent; rule that a court should apply the same legal
principle to the same set of facts and apply it to later cases that are
similar
◉ common law. Answer: law found in the decisions of the courts rather
than statutes; judge-made law
◉ constitutions. Answer: documents that set out the basic principles and
general laws of a country, state, or organization
◉ administrative law. Answer: body of laws that are imposed on
administrative agencies by the courts or legislatures
◉ procedural rules. Answer: rules established by courts and legislatures
that parties must follow
, ◉ mandatory authority. Answer: legal authority that must be followed by
a court
◉ persuasive authority. Answer: legal authority that may be followed by
a court; usually from another jurisdiction or secondary source
◉ plaintiff. Answer: person or entity that files lawsuit
◉ complaint. Answer: beginning document that commences a lawsuit
◉ defendant. Answer: person or entity that responds to the lawsuit
◉ docket number. Answer: administrative number assigned by the court
◉ reasoning. Answer: a court's legal basis for deciding a case
◉ dicta (dictum). Answer: part of a case decision that is not directly
related to the reasoning of the court in reaching the result of the case
◉ holding. Answer: the legal principle that a case stands for; the result
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ precedent. Answer: prior decisions of the same court or a higher court
that a judge must follow
◉ stare decisis. Answer: "stand by the thing decided"; related to the
concept of precedent; rule that a court should apply the same legal
principle to the same set of facts and apply it to later cases that are
similar
◉ common law. Answer: law found in the decisions of the courts rather
than statutes; judge-made law
◉ constitutions. Answer: documents that set out the basic principles and
general laws of a country, state, or organization
◉ administrative law. Answer: body of laws that are imposed on
administrative agencies by the courts or legislatures
◉ procedural rules. Answer: rules established by courts and legislatures
that parties must follow
, ◉ mandatory authority. Answer: legal authority that must be followed by
a court
◉ persuasive authority. Answer: legal authority that may be followed by
a court; usually from another jurisdiction or secondary source
◉ plaintiff. Answer: person or entity that files lawsuit
◉ complaint. Answer: beginning document that commences a lawsuit
◉ defendant. Answer: person or entity that responds to the lawsuit
◉ docket number. Answer: administrative number assigned by the court
◉ reasoning. Answer: a court's legal basis for deciding a case
◉ dicta (dictum). Answer: part of a case decision that is not directly
related to the reasoning of the court in reaching the result of the case
◉ holding. Answer: the legal principle that a case stands for; the result
