Sigourney

2. According to Alexander Hamilton, how would the Supreme Court meet the standard the reasonableness and evenhandedness of its decisions? a) by granting lifetime tenure to federal judges, b) they would be appointed by a federal commission comprised of retired, reputable jurists, c) because the Constitution stipulates strict standards and experience to get selected, d) the salaries of judges would be higher than any other public officials, eliminating influence-peddling.

4. The authority to review cases that have already been heard in lower courts and are appealed to the higher court by the losing party: a) original jurisdiction, b) authoritative jurisdiction, c) specific jurisdiction, d) appellate jurisdiction.

5. When the Supreme Court declares another institution’s action to be unconstitutional: a) amicus mandamus, b) legal mandate, c) judicial review, d) jurisdictional sovereignty. ANSWER: C

6. A judicial decision that serves as a rule for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature: a) certiorari, b) stare mandamus, c) precedent, d) standing.

7. The majority of cases that reach the Supreme Court are the result of a losing party in a lower-court case who explains in writing why the case should be ruled by the Court: writ of a) certiorari, b) mandamus, c) habeas corpus, d) attainder. ANSWER: A

8.. The highest ranking Justice Department official who serves as the federal government's lawyer in Supreme Court cases: the a) Attorney General, b) Solicitor General, c) Chief Magistrate, d) Comptroller General.

9. A closed hearing attended only by the nine justices of the Supreme Court: a) judicial hearing, b) judicial conference, c) adjudication committee, d) legal caucus. ANSWER: B

10. Why is the Supreme Court opinion the most important part of the Court’s ruling? a) It reinforces the fact that the Supreme Court is supreme over lower courts, b) It has the public's support, c) It contains the justices' legal reasoning, d) It clearly describes why the legislature is less relevant in a legal proceeding.

11. In the Brown opinion, the Court held that government-sponsored school segregation was unconstitutional because it violated: a) the First Amendment’s freedom of assembly, preventing children from interacting with people of a different race, b) the civil liberties protections found in Article I, section 9 of the Constitution, c) the Fourteenth Amendment provision that guarantees equal protection under the law to all citizens, d) the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment because it was limiting the rights of one group over another.

ANSWER: C

12. A Supreme Court decision where the justices cannot agree on the legal basis of the case, resulting in a 5-4 split: a) concurring opinion, b) dissenting opinion, c) majority opinion, d) plurality opinion.

13. A Concurring opinion refers to is: a) a separate view written by a justice who votes with the majority but disagrees with their reasoning, b) a written opinion that agrees with what was written in the body of the text, c) a disagreement with the majority and aligns with the minority, d) an agreement that the Court should have never heard the case. ANSWER: A

14. In Lee v. Weisman (1992), a case involving prayer at a public school graduation, Justice Anthony Kennedy decided: a) that the prayer was allowable, b) that prayer was never allowable, c) initially that prayer was not allowable but reversed himself and finally argued that prayer was allowable, d) initially that prayer was allowable but then reversed himself and said that prayer was not allowable.

15. Each state's sovereignty is protected by the following amendment in the Constitution: a) Ninth, b) Tenth, c) Eleventh, d) Twelfth. ANSWER: B

16. What percent of the nation’s legal cases are decided by state and local courts? a) about 63%, b) a little less than 78%, d) a little more than 81%, d) more than 95%

17. How are judges and justices appointed to the federal judiciary? a) They are selected by a judicial commission with the advice and consent of the Congress, b) They are selected by the states with the advice of the House and consent of the Senate, c) They are selected by the president and confirmed by the Senate, d) They are selected by the president’s political party and approved by judge’s or justice’s home state legislatures. ANSWER: C

18. Prior to 1900, most of the nominees to sit on the Supreme Court were rejected because of: a) judicial qualifications, b) political views, c) personal ethics, d) partisan politics.

Could you please show me the work and explain how you get to each step of the equation :)