Supreme Court & Federal Court System Vocab Quiz

The American Citizen at NKCHS

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Match the definition in each item below with the vocabulary term it defines and then click "submit" to send your answers.

  1. A schedule of cases to be argued in a court

    2. Your answer:
    conference
    docket
    brief

  2. A court's authority to hear cases argued before it

    3. Your answer:
    opinion
    precedent
    jurisdiction

  3. The principal by which the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on one case is used as a precedent, in deciding other cases

    4. Your answer:
    stare decisis
    rule of four
    majority opinion

  4. An order from the U.S. Supreme Court to a lower court to prepare and send records of a case for review

    5. Your answer:
    original jurisdiction
    writ of certiorari
    judicial restraint

  5. A military court that tries members of the armed forces accused of violating military laws

    6. Your answer:
    court-martial
    majority ruling
    conference

  6. A federal court in each of the fifty states that has original jurisdiction in most cases involving federal laws

    7. Your answer:
    federal court
    legislative court
    district court

  7. A written document arguing one side of a legal case

    8. Your answer:
    jurisdiction
    opinion
    brief

  8. The view of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who support a ruling on a case

    9. Your answer:
    majority opinion
    minority opinion
    precedent

  9. A general judicial court established by Congress under Article III of the U.S. Constitution

    10. Your answer:
    court martial
    constitutional court
    appellate court

  10. A ruling that is used as an example in deciding similar cases

    11. Your answer:
    writ of certiorari
    precedent
    writ

  11. The authority of a court to hear cases on appeal

    12. Your answer:
    constitutional jurisdiction
    Circuit Court
    appellate jurisdiction

  12. The philosophy that Supreme Court justices should take an active role in making policy, going beyond the actions of the elected branches (legislature and executive branches) if the justices think it is necessary

    13. Your answer:
    judicial activism
    dissenting opinion
    judicial restraint

  13. A court's written decision that summarizes a case and presents the questions of law, the ruling, and the reasoning involved in the ruling

    14. Your answer:
    brief
    legal summary
    opinion

  14. A question of no practical importance (when brought before a court of law in the U.S.)

    15. Your answer:
    precedent
    practical question
    moot question

  15. A court, corresponding to a federal district court, established by Congress under its authority to govern U.S. territories

    16. Your answer:
    justicial court
    supreme court
    territorial court

  16. A court that handles appeals from a lower court

    17. Your answer:
    court of appeals
    legislative court
    district court

  17. The branch of law that covers navigation, shipping, and commerce on the high seas or on lakes and rivers within the U.S.

    18. Your answer:
    admiralty law
    maritime law
    both a and b, above

  18. Another name for one of the twelve regional federal courts of appeals

    19. Your answer:
    Supreme Court
    Federal Court
    Circuit Court

  19. All court cases that involve national laws, including the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, or treaties

    20. Your answer:
    federal questions
    federal statutes
    legal issues

  20. For a case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal from a lower court, four of the nine justices usually must agree

    21. Your answer:
    fule of rour
    rule of four
    stare decisis

  21. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempt to expand the size of the U.S. Supreme Court (so that he could appoint new members who would be in agreement with his New Deal legislation)

    22. Your answer:
    appellate jurisdiction
    judicial activism
    court-packing plan

  22. In the U.S. Supreme Court, a written opinion that supports the majority decision of the Court, but offers different reasons for reaching that decision

    23. Your answer:
    concurring opinion
    brief
    amicus curiae

  23. The philosophy that judicial decisions should not contradict the wishes of elected members of government (legislature and executive branches) unless those wishes clearly violate the Constitution

    24. Your answer:
    judicial activism
    judicial restraint
    judicial independence

  24. A regularly scheduled meeting of justices of the U.S. Supreme Court to discuss and decide cases that come before it

    25. Your answer:
    meet and confer
    conference
    joint session

  25. A recent law school graduate who assists a judge by conducting research, summarizing cases, and helping to draft opinions

    26. Your answer:
    law partner
    law clerk
    associate justice

  26. The opinion written by a Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority opinion (also called the "minority opinion)

    27. Your answer:
    concurring opinion
    dissenting opinion
    majority opinion

  27. A court established by Congress to hear cases about and carry out the legislative powers in Article I of the Constitution

    28. Your answer:
    appellate court
    district court
    legislative court

  28. The principle of law that a sovereign government (such as the United States government) cannot be sued unless it agrees to be

    29. Your answer:
    congressional immunity
    sovereign immunity
    judicial immunity

  29. The authority of a court to hear arguments in a case and to decide that case for the very first time

    30. Your answer:
    original jurisdiction
    judicial overview
    appellate jurisdiction

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