Law Exam

The ______ is the first time laws were written down and made available for the public to review.

Hammurabi Code

T/F Under the rule of Cyrus the Great people could chose their own religion.

True

Laws can be based on

Moral, Economic, Social, and Political

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. What is the significance of the United Nations adopting it in 1948?

End of WWII

The two types of court systems in the United States are

Criminal & Civil

T/F In Civil Cases a person must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

False

T/F In the criminal court system it is up to the defendant to prove his/her innocence before the jury.

False

Generally considered the most powerful of the 3 branches of government

Legislative

The two houses in Congress are

House & Senate

If a bill goes through Congress that deals with the budget if must go throw which Chamber first?

House

John wants to run for the vacant Senate position in Pennsylvania. John is 28, was born in the United States, and is a resident of Pennsylvania. Is he eligible to run?

No

Who is responsible for impeachment?

House

T/F The majority of Americans believe there should be term limits for Congress.

True

For a bill to pass Congress it must

Pass both Chambers of Congress with no changes to the bill

If a bill passes Congress it must be signed by the

President

A President may _________ a bill sending it back to Congress. (and probably killing it)

Veto

Each State, no matter the population has ____ Senators.

2

South Carolina currently has _____ members in the House of Representatives.

7

South Carolina's Senators are

Lindsey Graham & Tim Scott

T/F According to the Constitution, House of Representatives must live in the districts they serve.

False

T/F Senators from the same state are not usually on the same election cycle unless there is a special election.

True

Congress main purpose is to

pass laws

Congress ability to pass budgets, Presidents power to veto, and the Judicial Courts ability for judicial review are all examples of

Checks and Balances

Federal Judges are nominated by the ____ and confirmed by the ______.

President, Senate

The importance of Marbury v. Madison is

Gave the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review

When an appeals court decides a case, it issues a written opinion that sets a ________ for similar cases in the future.

Precedent

The Judiciary Act of 1869

Established 9 Supreme Court Judges

How long do federal judges serve?

life

The Supreme Court term begins

First Monday of October

An example of Original Jurisdiction is

Cases involving the US and a state, Cases that involve 2 or more states, Crimes over the high seas

The Supreme Court, on average only hears ___% of cases appealed to them each term.

1

The ______ is the only nationally elected office.

President

T/F The President is elected using a national popular vote.

False

The _____ Amendment states that the President and Vice President will run on the same ticket.

12th

T/F The President does not have term limits.

False

US V Nixon limited

Executive Privilege

T/F According to the 25th Amendment if the President is unable to perform his duties (Death, Resignation, Removal) as President the _______ will become President.

Vice President

T/F An executive order is the same as law.

False

Which of the following is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment?

Speech, Religion, Press, Peaceful Assemble

This Supreme Court Case abolished prayer in public schools led by school officials.

Engel v. Vitale

T/F Public schools cannot have any religious clubs on campus.

False

In Tinker v. Des Moines, the Supreme Court ruled

In favor of Tinker. That Tinker's right to peacefully protest by wearing a black armband was considered pure free speech.

This Supreme Court Case determined that off campus speech at a school sponsored event could be limited.

Morse v. Fredrick

T/F Courts do not usually hear cases dealing with dress codes in schools. Generally it is left up to the schools discretion to implement appropriate dress codes to limit distractions in the classroom.

True

T/F Schools can censor what is printed in the school newspaper

True

T/F The Brandenburg decision made it very hard to arrest someone for political speech.

True

T/F Threats and "fighting words" are considered protected speech.

False

This landmark Supreme Court case overturned the "Separate but Equal Clause" and desegregated public schools.

Brown v. Board of Education

T/F The majority opinion and the concurring opinion are the same thing.

False

The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are known as

Bill of Rights

What are the 3 parts to the Constitution?

Preamble, Articles, Amendments

The ______ was the first document to establish self-government in the New World.

Mayflower Compact

How many representatives per state under the Articles of Confederation?

1

How many states had to agree on a law for it to be passed under the Articles of Confederation?

9

What was Shay's Rebellion?

Farmers in Massachusetts upset over not getting military pay and having their land seized from them

T/F One of the main reasons George Washington got involved in the Constitutional Convention was Shays Rebellion.

True

_____ is know known as the father of the Constitution.

James Madison

_____ was unanimously elected as the President of the Constitutional Convention.

George Washington

T/F Rhode Island is the only state that did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

True

T/F The majority of the founding fathers believed that we should look to Great Britain as a model for our new government.

False

____ of Congress is needed to overturn a veto from the president.

2/3

Which of the following is not true about the Virginia Plan

Wanted equal representation for the Senate and the House be based on population

A smaller state would probably agree more with the

New Jersey Plan

What almost destroyed the Constitutional Convention?

The debate over the Legislative branch

What is the minimum number of electoral votes a state can have?

3: 2 Senators, at least 1 House of Representatives

What did the Great Compromise do?

Senate would be equal, House based on population

T/F The Constitution never directly acknowledges slavery.

True

How many electoral votes does South Carolina have?

9

What did the 3/5 Compromise do?

Allow 3/5s of non free men to be counted towards that states population

T/F South Carolina had the biggest percentage of slaves per capita in 1790.

True

The _____ Amendment made it so the people directly chose their Senators.

17th

The ___ Amendment made it that the Vice President and President runs on the same ticket.

12th

The President of the United States is chosen

electoral college

Federal Judges serve

life

T/F After a majority of delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787 it became a binding document creating our new government.

False

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay wrote the ___________, a set of 85 papers to convince the public that ratification of the Constitution was necessary.

Federalist Papers

The Original Bill of Rights consisted of _____ Amendments. 2 of these were not ratified.

12

John Hancock and Samuel Adams agreed to ratify the Constitution if

After signing the Constitution a Bill of Rights were immediately proposed

T/F the second Amendment that was proposed (but not ratified) in 1788 was later ratified in 1992 to become the 27th Amendment.

True

When did the Constitution become the official framework for our government?

June 21, 1788

T/F Washington was unanimously elected as the President of the United States in 1788.

True

Once an Amendment is proposed by 2/3 of Congress, it must be ratified by ___ of the states.

3/4

According to Article 1 of the Constitution who has sole responsibility for impeachment charges?

House

Who holds the trial for impeachment charges?

Senate

According to the Constitution what is the purpose of the State of the Union?

To address Congress on the State of the Union

How many ways are there to propose an Amendment the Constitution?

2

Who can admit new states into the union?

Congress

What is the Supremacy Clause?

That the Constitution is the highest law of the land

T/F A Constitutional Convention called by 2/3 of state legislatures has never been used to propose an Amendment to the Constitution.

True

T/F Rhode Island is the only state out of the 13 not to sign the Constitution.

False

Considered the introduction to the Constitution.

Preamble

Which Article to the Constitution deals with the Executive Branch?

Article 2

How many Amendments to the Constitution are there?

27

There are ____ Articles in the Constitution.

7

The first Article in the Constitution concerns

Congress

T/F Nothing is every erased from the Constitution.

True

T/F The state of South Carolina can enter into treaties with other nations and coin its' own money.

False

What was the outcome of the court case District of Columbia v. Heller?

The court found in favor of Heller, that the District of Columbia's restrictions on guns was a violation of his 2nd Amendment

T/F A Congressman has to live in the district he/she represents.

False

Which of the following must be a natural born citizen to run for this office.

President