Which of these situations would violate a right established in Miranda v. Arizona?
A. School authorities search a students locker without a warrant
B. A city prohibits cigarette companies from advertising on billboards
C. A state passes a law establishing several methods of capital punishment
?D. Police officers refuse to allow a person
In which of these cases did the US Supreme Court interpret the "necessary and proper" clause of the United States Constitution?
A. Marbury v. Madison
?B. McCulloch v. Maryland
C. Tinker v. Des Moines School District
D. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
A grand jury decides
A. Where a trial will be held
B. When a case will go to trial
?C. Whether a person should be indicted
D. Which attorney will represent a defendent
Which of these excerpts from the US Constitution gives the Supreme Court the authority to review a law passed by Congress?
A. "The judges...shall hold their offices during good behavior..."
B. "He [the President] shall nominate...judges of the Supreme Court..."
?C. "The judicial power shall extend to all cases...arising under the Constitution..."
D. "The Congress shall have t
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a step toward "equal justice under the law" because it...
A. removed poll taxes
B. limited states' power to tax
?C. made segregation laws unconstitutional
D. required police to inform people of their rights
Some students were accused of violating school policy by leaving school grounds while school was in session. Before being suspended, the students were given an opportunity to explain their reasons for leaving school grounds. Which of these principles of l
?A. due process
B. majority rule
C. checks and balances
D. separation of powers
Which of these types of cases would be tried as a civil case?
A. kidnapping
?B. lawsuit
C. shoplifting
D. traffic violation
Which of these is part of the judicial branch of the United States federal government?
A. the Senate
B. the President
?C. the Supreme Court
D. the House of Representatives
Which situation would most likely lead to a criminal trial?
A. Two homeowners disagree on the boundary between their properties
B. An auto mechanic ruins a car's engine and refuses to pay for the damage
?C. A person is caught leaving a store with a watch without paying for it
D. A newspaper delivery person acciden
A person suing another person in a civil case is called the...
A. counsel
B. defendant
?C. plaintiff
D. prosecutor
Which of these rights of a suspect is protected by the Miranda v. Arizona decision?
?A. the right to an attorney
B. the right to a jury of peers
C. the right to confront witnesses
D. the right to a speedy and public trial
Which of these government actions demonstrates a "get tough on crime" policy?
A. accepting plea bargaining
B. eliminating lengthy jail sentences
C. reading suspects their Miranda rights
?D. limiting the number of appeals per defendant
Which of these principles of government is demonstrated when the Maryland Court of Appeals declares a Maryland state law unconstitutional?
A. federalism
B. popular sovereignty
?C. checks and balances
D. representative democracy
Which of these Supreme Court decisions established the doctrine of "separate but equal?
?A. Plessy v. Fergusson
B. Marbury v. Madison
C. Tinker v. Des Moines School District
D. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
What legal tool is available to prisoners who believe they are being jailed illegally?
A. an injunction
B. a subpoena
C. a plea-bargaining agreement
?D. a writ of habeas corpus
The decision in Gideon v. Wainwright extended due process in state courts to include
A. women
?B. the poor
C. the elderly
D. disabled persons
A public school system would violate federal law if it...
A. required the wearing of uniforms
?B. discriminated on the basis of race
C. demanded a minimum grade-point average
D. requested the participation of parents
A police officer stopped a citizen for speeding. Without probable cause, the officer opened the trunk of the citizen's car to look for drugs. The citizen can challenge the actions of the police officer on the grounds that a citizen has...
A. the right to an attorney
B. the right to avoid self-incrimination
C. the right to equal protection under the law
?D. the right to protection against illegal searches and seizures
What is the purpose of an indictment?
?A. to formally charge a person with a crime
B. to advise a person of the right to remain silent
C. to sentence a person who has been convicted
D. to decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty
Which of these is a requirement for a fair trial in a criminal case?
A. The jury must recognize the lawyers involved in the case.
B. The lawyers must know each other.
?C. The defendant must know the charges.
D. The judge must insist that the defendant testify.
Which of these is the best example of plea-bargaining in a criminal case?
A. A defense attorney requests that the police release a suspect from jail.
?B. A defense attorney and a prosecutor negotiate the charges against a defendant.
C. A judge questions the police about their reasons for requesting a search warrant.
D. A judge
How did the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka affect the Court's earlier decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
?A. The Court overturned the separate but equal doctrine in schools.
B. The Court approved schools requiring students to wear uniforms.
C. The Court ruled that school officials must show reasonable cause for making a search.
D. The Court upheld the decisi
In a 1995 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that conducting drug tests of students participating in interscholastic athletics did not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures.
This ruling expanded the Supreme Court
?A. New Jersey v. T.L.O.
B. Miranda v. Arizona
C. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
D. Tinker v. Des Moines School District
In 1961, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that illegally obtained evidence could not be used in state courts.
Which of these constitutional rights is protected by this ruling?
A. the right to counsel
B. the right to free speech
C. the right to protection against self-incrimination
?D. the right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure
The prosecutor in a criminal case is the person who
?A. represents the government
B. serves as head of the jury
C. represents the defendant
D. presides as judge
When a defendant was tried and found innocent of a crime, the state prosecutor was disappointed but could not legally try the case again. Doing so would violate the defendant's right to protection from
?A. double jeopardy
B. self-incrimination
C. illegal search and seizure
D. cruel and unusual punishment
A police officer arrests a suspected criminal and neglects to inform the suspect of the charges against him.
Which of these best describes the above situation?
A. a failure to ensure separation of powers
?B. a violation of due process rights
C. the abuse of executive privilege
D. the misuse of the power of eminent domain
A homeowner signed a written agreement with a roofing company to have an old roof replaced.
In the United States legal system, this type of written agreement is called a
?A. contract
B. misdemeanor
C. negotiation
D. tort
Which of these government actions is most associated with due process of law?
A. creating affirmative action programs
?B. informing the accused of their rights
C. maintaining order during times of crisis
D. establishing guidelines for workplace
Which of these would most likely be indicted by a Maryland grand jury?
A. a professional football player refusing to honor his contract
B. a neighbor having property dispute with another homeowner
C. a car owner testifying about the theft of her car
?D. a person videotaped robbing a state bank
Which of these terms is used to describe a party who files a civil lawsuit?
A. prosecutor
B. defendant
?C. plaintiff
D. mediator
Which of these is an example of plea-bargaining?
A. A jury determines the sentence for a person convicted of a crime.
B. A police officer collects evidence to obtain a search warrant
C. A judge reviews evidence to determine whether a police officer violated a citizen's rights
?D. A defendant admits guil
In Goss v. Lopez (1971), a group of children was suspended from school. The parents sued the Board of Education because the children were not given hearings before the suspension.
Which of these was most at issue in this case?
?A. due process
B. probable cause
C. separation of powers
D. rule of law
A case that must be tried in a federal court is one involving
A. child custody
B. medical malpractice
C. product liability
?D. copyright violation
When a famous actress was accused of wrongdoing, the newspaper covered the event extensively. The actress was convicted of the crime, but appealed the verdict on the grounds that the pre-trial publicity prejudiced the jury.
Which of these rights is in con
A. the right to a speedy trial
B. the right to present witnesses
C. the right to legal counsel
?D. the right to a fair trial