Quiz 8: The Judiciary

How do federal and state judges obtain a seat on the bench?

How many Supreme Court justices must approve of hearing an appeal for a writ of certiorari to be granted?

If a justice sides with the majority but writes his or her own opinion rather than signing the majority opinion, what is this opinion called? Correct!

In 1990, a Missouri woman placed a sign protesting the Persian Gulf War in her yard, despite a city ordinance against yard signs. In Ladue v. Gilleo (1994), the Supreme Court ruled that the ordinance in the city of Laude, Missouri prohibiting yard signs violated Ms. Gilleo's First Amendment rights. What power did the Supreme Court apply in this case?

In 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee was considering Patty Shwartz, from New Jersey, as a judicial candidate for the Third Circuit. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez was given the opportunity to express his approval or disapproval of her appointment. This procedural tool is referred to as

Suppose that Randy Hunt has been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm. Randy has appealed his conviction on grounds that his Second Amendment rights have been violated. If the National Rifle Association sends the appellate court a brief arguing why the conviction should be overturned, what is this brief called?

Suppose that a building contractor is accused of haphazard use of asbestos roofing in decades past. Many of the individuals who worked in these buildings and now have lung problems wish to sue the contractor. If the judge allows this large group of people to serve as the plaintiff in a single civil case, he or she is granting

The legal philosophy that judges should use the intentions of those writing the law or the Constitution as guides for how to interpret the law is called

When American courts of appeal make their rulings, they must rely on past decisions by the Supreme Court to decide how to rule on the case at hand. What principle are they applying when they do this?

Within which Article does the Constitution state that judicial power shall be vested in the federal courts?