Understanding the Judicial Branch and Supreme Court Legitimacy

What leads to debate about the legitimacy of the Supreme Court's power?

• The Supreme Court's role in the legislative process

• The election process of federal judges

• The ability of the Supreme Court to enforce laws

• The exercise of judicial review in conjunction with life tenure

Why were the Anti-Federalists concerned about lifetime appointments of federal judges?

• They thought judges would be too young

• They were concerned about the cost

• They preferred elected judges

• They believed it would lead to tyranny

What is the power of judicial review?

• The power to make laws

• The power to execute laws

• The power to rule on the constitutionality of laws

• The power to appoint Supreme Court justices

What did Alexander Hamilton argue in Federalist 78?

• That lifetime appointments protected liberty

• That the Supreme Court should not have judicial review

• That the judicial branch was the weakest branch

• That lifetime appointments would lead to tyranny

What establishes a precedent in the Supreme Court's decision-making process?

• A law passed by Congress

• A ruling on a case

• A public opinion poll

• A presidential executive order

What does 'stare decisis' mean?

• To overturn a decision

• To make a new law

• Let the decision stand

• To question a precedent

Which case established the precedent that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional?

• Plessy vs. Ferguson

• Planned Parenthood v. Casey

• United States v. Nixon

• Brown vs. the Board of Education

What is a significant factor in determining if a precedent will stand or be overturned?

• Public opinion at the time

• The ideological makeup of the court

• The number of justices on the court

• The age of the precedent

Which court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision?

• The Warren Court

• The Burger Court

• The Rehnquist Court

• The Roberts Court

What does the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court influence?

• The court's favorite fast food takeout item

• The decisions handed down by the court

• The ability of the court to make laws

• The process of judicial review