Judicial Branch Quiz

What is the concept that claims the Constitution is dynamic and that modern society should be considered when interpreting key constitutional text?

• Originalism

• "Living" Constitution

• Textualism

• Strict Constructionism

What is the highest court in the land and the only part of the federal judiciary specifically required by the Constitution?

• Court of Appeals

• District Court

• Supreme Court of the United States

• Circuit Court

Who is the highest-ranking justice on the Supreme Court?

• Associate Justice

• Solicitor General

• Chief Justice

• Supreme Court Justice

What is the term for a Supreme Court custom in which a case will be heard when four justices decide to do so?

• Rule of Four

• Writ of Certiorari

• Judicial Review

• Original Jurisdiction

Which 1803 Supreme Court case established the courts' power of judicial review?

• Marbury v. Madison

• Brown v. Board of Education

• McCulloch v. Maryland

• Plessy v. Ferguson

What is the term for the official power to make legal decisions and judgments?

• Appellate Court

• Jurisdiction

• Trial Court

• Brief

What is the power of a court to hear a case on appeal from a lower court and possibly change the lower court's decision?

• Original Jurisdiction

• Appellate Jurisdiction

• Judicial Review

• Oral Argument

What are the trial courts of the federal court system where cases are tried, evidence is presented, and witness testimony is heard?

• Circuit Courts

• Appellate Courts

• District Courts

• Supreme Courts

What is the definition of civil law?

• A non-criminal law defining private rights and remedies

• The pattern of law developed by judges through case decisions largely based on precedent

• A law that prohibits actions that could harm or endanger others, and establishes punishment for those actions

• The principles or guidelines established by courts in earlier cases

What is the purpose of a conference in the context of the judiciary?

• A closed meeting of the justices to discuss cases on the docket and take an initial vote

• The division of the courts into two separate systems, one federal and one state

• A judicial philosophy in which a justice is more likely to overturn decisions or rule actions by the other branches unconstitutional

• The list of cases pending on a court’s calendar