Judicial Branch AP Gov

An unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts are usually not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator of the president's party from the state in which the nominee will serve is ________.

senatorial courtesy

________ is a ruling by a court that guides judicial reasoning in subsequent cases.

A precedent

An unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts are usually not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator of the president's party from the state in which the nominee will serve is ________.

senatorial courtesy

________ is a ruling by a court that guides judicial reasoning in subsequent cases.

A precedent

To become a justice of the Supreme Court, a person has to be ________.

nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate

Partisanship in the judicial branch, particularly in enforcing policy, is usually based on ________.

conservative or liberal ideologies of the judge

Judicial review is the power of the courts to ________.

invalidate a law or action that violates the Constitution

The ________ approves presidential appointments.

Senate

Interest groups often participate in Supreme Court cases through the use of ________.

amicus curiae briefs

The member of the Justice Department who handles all Supreme Court appeals for the U.S. government is the ________.

Solicitor General

Federal district courts are the federal equivalent of ________.

trial courts

The opinion written by a member of the Supreme Court who disagrees with the result reached by the Court in a case is the ________ opinion.

dissenting

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is an example of ________.

the Supreme Court overruling a precedent

he reliance in court rulings on past decisions or precedents to formulate decisions in new cases is called ________.

stare decisis

What is the most criticized aspect of judicial restraint?

A strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution leads to injustice, particularly for historically oppressed minorities.

A Supreme Court justice who agrees with the outcome reached by the majority but not with the legal reasoning behind the decision is likely to ________.

Selected:

issue a concurring opinion

Which of the following most accurately describes the role of the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court's decisions are final, as it is the court of last resort for appeals and is responsible for interpreting national laws.

A formal acceptance by the Supreme Court to review a decision of a lower court is called ________.

a writ of certiorari

The self-imposed limitation on judicial power by judges deferring to the policy judgments of elected branches of government is called ________.

judicial restraint

Which description best characterizes the most significant concern over judicial activism?

That the justices can use their personal preferences to set policy

Which of the following is the strongest argument in favor of a judiciary that is somewhat removed from the public?

Justices who become too responsive to public opinion may ignore their role as neutral arbiters of the Constitution.

What best describes the Supreme Court's primary considerations?

Interpreting the Constitution and affording due process to protect individual rights

Which of the following is responsible for hearing appeals from the district court?

Circuit court

The federal court system consists of three levels of courts: the Supreme Court, the courts of appeals, and the ________ courts.

district

The principle of judicial review was first established expressly in writing in the Supreme Court decision of ________.

Marbury v. Madison

The inferior courts referred to in the Constitution are those ________.

operating under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

The authority of a court to be the first to hear a particular kind of case is known as ________ jurisdiction.

original