Government Topic 7 Test

In which courts are most cases in the United States heard?

• federal courts
• state courts
• constitutional courts
• special courts

Which types of federal courts were formed under Article III to exercise "the judicial Power of the United States"?

• constitutional courts
• district courts
• appeals courts
• special courts

The Supreme Court exercises original jurisdiction in cases

• appealed from a lower court.
• to which a State is a party.
• involving federal crimes.
• relating to copyright violations.

Why do you think the Supreme Court justices meet in private to discuss cases?

• To preserve the privacy of all parties to the case
• To prevent onlookers from interrupting and influencing deliberations
• To ensure that justices can speak their mind and be free from politics
• To protect the secrecy of classified documents

Supreme Court justices write opinions on cases that they decide because

• their reasoning will affect future decisions.
• their opinions are not always unanimous.
• they wish to provide a written record of the conferences.
• they wish to give credit to cases that influenced them.

An independent judicial branch makes a society more democratic because

• it interprets laws that are unclear.
• it protects the rights of individuals.
• it enforces laws related to elections.
• it deters citizens from breaking the law.

Federal district court judges hear

• mostly criminal cases, with an occasional civil case.
• criminal cases only.
• civil cases only.
• both criminal and civil cases.

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Trade Court?

• court of first instance; constitutional court
• trials heard en banc; first established in 1890
• focuses on port cities; highly secretive
• appeals go to Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; chief judge is from Supreme Court

Which statement about the United States Tax Court is TRUE?

• The Treasury Department brings criminal cases to this court.
• Appeals to cases generated in this federal court go to the Supreme Court.
• Congress established this court using the same constitutional clause as the one used to create the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
• The Internal Revenue Service brings civil cases to this court.

The type of jurisdiction shared by both Federal and State, missing from the middle section of this diagram, is known as

• Appellate
• Concurrent
• Exclusive
• Original