Judicial Branch Gov

What did Hamilton mean when he made the following statement?

“Laws are a dead letter without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.” —Alexander Hamilton

• For laws to be effective, there must be courts to make them known to citizens consistently.

• For laws to be effective, there must be courts to interpret them consistently.

• Laws that are not obeyed should be repealed by the courts.

• Laws that are not obeyed should be enforced by the courts.

Why did the Constitution provide for two separate court systems?

• to keep the federal court system from being overwhelmed

• to establish the federal court system as having more power than State courts

• to maintain a balance of power between the Federal Government and the States

• to strengthen the balance of power between the three branches of Federal Government

Read this excerpt from the text.
“The trial of a person charged with a federal crime, or a suit involving the infringement of a patent or a copyright, or one involving any other matter arising out of an act of Congress is . . . within the . . . jurisdiction of the federal courts." 
In a patent case being heard for the first time, this is an example of

• concurrent jurisdiction.
• exclusive jurisdiction.
• appellate jurisdiction.
• local jurisdiction.

What is the difference between original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction?

• Original jurisdiction refers to a case being heard in a federal court; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case being heard in a State court.
• Original jurisdiction refers to criminal or civil cases; appellate jurisdiction refers to only to civil cases.
• Original jurisdiction refers to a case that could be heard in a federal or a State court; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case that must be heard in a federal court.
• Original jurisdiction refers to a court where a case is first heard; appellate jurisdiction refers to a case being heard after it was tried in a lower court.

How are federal judges selected?

• The person is named to the bench by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
• The person is named to the bench by the President and does not need to be confirmed.
• The person is publicly elected to the bench and confirmed by the Senate.
• The person is nominated by the Senate and chosen by the President.

When a case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the court can do which of the following?

• Declares the law involved in the case to be unconstitutional.
• Sends the case to Congress to decide on the legality of the law involved.
• Sends the case back to the lower court for reconsideration.
• Passes the case on to a higher court.

“The district courts try criminal cases ranging from bank robbery, kidnapping, and mail fraud to counterfeiting, terrorism, and tax evasion. They hear civil cases arising under bankruptcy, postal, tax, public lands, civil rights, and other laws of the United States.” 
Based on this excerpt from the text, which of the following would not be tried in a district court?

• a gang charged with robbing several stores at a shopping mall
• a company sending out deceptive information through the mail
• a corporation seeking financial protection because it has no money
• a political group charged with setting off an explosion at a national monument

This type of jurisdiction is shared by both Federal and State judiciary.

• Appellate
• Concurrent
• Exclusive
• Original

The practice of senatorial courtesy does with of the folowing?

• confirms any federal judge who serves in the State in which the president was born.
• shows courtesy to federal judges who have served in the Senate.
• considers the preferences of senators regarding judges serving in their State.
• ensures that every federal judge has a professional background from his or her State.

What solution did Alexander Hamilton propose to the problem he describes in this quote?
“If there is in each State a court of final jurisdiction, there may be as many different final determinations on the same point as there are courts. There are endless diversities in the opinions of men. We often see not only different courts but the judges of the same court differing from each other.”
—Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 22

• There should be a national court system that is superior to the State courts and can provide a final ruling.
• The State courts should meet regularly to discuss how to coordinate their rulings so they agree.
• The State and federal courts should share concurrent jurisdiction over all cases to settle disputes.
• The State courts should have no federal oversight so they can remain independent and represent their citizens.