Court Organization and Structure MCQs

Court Organization and Structure MCQs

Welcome to MCQss.com! This page is dedicated to MCQs (multiple-choice questions) focused on court organization and structure within the judicial system. By engaging with these MCQs, you can test your knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of how courts are organized and structured.

By exploring our MCQs on court organization and structure, you can test your knowledge of the different levels of courts, their functions, and the hierarchical structure within the judicial system. These questions cover topics such as the jurisdiction of federal and state courts, the role of the Supreme Court, the organization of U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. District Courts, as well as the structure of state courts.

Engaging with these MCQs not only allows you to assess your understanding but also helps you gain insights into the complexities of court organization and the hierarchical structure of the judicial system. You will develop a deeper appreciation for the importance of the various levels of courts in ensuring access to justice and upholding the rule of law.

Expand your knowledge and test your understanding of court organization and structure by exploring the MCQs on MCQss.com. Whether you are a law student, legal professional, or simply interested in the judicial system, these questions provide a valuable resource to enhance your understanding of the organization and structure of courts within the judicial system.

1: The current trend is that the number of criminal federal cases is slightly decreasing.

A.   True

B.   False

2: Limited jurisdiction means that a court is limited to hearing only a particular class of cases.

A.   True

B.   False

3: During trial, the judge does little more than hand down sentence upon a guilty defendant.

A.   True

B.   False

4: The district court is the trial court for the federal court system.

A.   True

B.   False

5: A specialized case, such as a homicide or sex crime, is typically dealt with vertically.

A.   True

B.   False

6: Typically, the jury has little to do with imposing the sentence on a guilty defendant.

A.   True

B.   False

7: Which of the following is not one of the common methods of selecting judges?

A.   Appointment

B.   Impeachment

C.   Election

D.   The merit system

8: Which of the federal court tiers consists of courts of original jurisdiction?

A.   District courts

B.   State supreme courts

C.   Intermediate appellate courts

D.   The U.S. Supreme Court

9: Which tier of the federal court system is known as that of the “last resort?”

A.   District courts

B.   State supreme courts

C.   Intermediate appellate courts

D.   The U.S. Supreme Court

10: A writ of habeas corpus is also known as what type of appeal?

A.   Indirect

B.   Direct

C.   Challenge

D.   Peremptory

11: Which method of judicial appointment is also known as the Missouri plan?

A.   Executive appointment

B.   Congressional vote

C.   Popular election

D.   The merit system

A.   Public defenders

B.   Private defenders

C.   Assigned counsel

D.   Contract

13: What sources may be used to identify eligible members of the community for jury duty?

A.   All of these sources

B.   Voting records

C.   Automobile registration records

D.   Records that include all adults living in the jurisdiction

14: What type of jurisdiction involves the authority conferred on a court to hear a particular type of case?

A.   Subject matter jurisdiction

B.   Hierarchical jurisdiction

C.   Original jurisdiction

D.   Personal jurisdiction

15: How many federal circuit courts are there?

A.   51

B.   13

C.   50

D.   11

16: Is alford plea a plea in which the defendant enters a guilty plea but denies having committed the crime to which he or she is pleading?

A.   True

B.   False

17: _____ is the power of a court to review a decision of a lower court.

A.   None of these

B.   Appellate jurisdiction

C.   Trial sufficiency policy

D.   Equity

18: _____ is defined as the oldest method of selecting judges by the chief executive of the jurisdiction (the president of the United States or the governor of an individual state). All 13 of the original colonies used it, and it is used today in the federal system and about 20 states.

A.   Appointment

B.   All of these

C.   Horizontal

D.   Vertical

19: _____ is known as the stage in the pretrial process when the defendant enters a plea.

A.   Arraignment

B.   An obstacle course

C.   None of these

D.   The common law system

20: Is arrest occurs when a reasonable person would conclude that the police in some way had restrained his or her liberty so that the person was not free to leave?

A.   True

B.   False

21: _____ is courts established under the authority of Article III of the Constitution.

A.   Incarceration

B.   Article III courts

C.   All of these

D.   Rehabilitation

22: _____ is defined as an administrator who sets prosecution priorities for deputy attorneys general.

A.   None of these

B.   Executive appointment

C.   Attorney general

D.   Popular election

23: _____ is known as usually an armed peace officer (often a sheriff’s deputy) whose job is to maintain order in the courtroom and transport incarcerated defendants to and from court proceedings. At the federal level, bailiffs are U.S. Marshals.

A.   Bill of rights

B.   Reliable

C.   All of these

D.   Bailiff

A.   False

B.   True

25: _____ is An administrative procedure involving the entry into the police blotter of the suspect’s name, arrest time, offense charged, and the taking of fingerprints and photographs.

A.   Booking

B.   All of these

C.   An obstacle course

D.   The civil law system

26: Is challenge for cause during the jury selection process, the method used by the prosecutor or the defense attorney to remove impartial prospective jurors from the jury pool. Jurors can be removed, for example, if there is evidence that they are biased against one side or the other or if they have made up their minds about the defendant’s guilt or innocence prior to hearing the evidence in the case?

A.   True

B.   False

27: _____ is the statement given by a defense attorney or prosecutor at the end of a trial (after all evidence has been presented) that summarizes the case to the judge or jury and reinforces the arguments made by each side.

A.   Closing argument

B.   Warrant

C.   All of these

D.   Voir dire

28: Is complaint the criminal process may begin with the filing of a complaint. It may be filled out by a police officer, a prosecutor, or a private citizen. If an arrest is made first, a complaint will be sworn out afterward, usually by the arresting officer. The complaint serves as the charging document for the preliminary hearing?

A.   True

B.   False

29: _____ is individual responsible for facilitating the smooth flow of cases. He or she maintains the court records, schedules cases for hearings and for trial, and manages court personnel.

A.   Right to a speedy trial

B.   Court administrator

C.   Right to testify

D.   None of these

30: _____ is defined as someone who maintains the records of all cases, prepares the jury pool, issues summonses for jury duty, and subpoenas witnesses who will testify at trial.

A.   Defense attorney

B.   All of these

C.   Clerk of the court

D.   Court clerk

31: _____ is known as act of Congress that created the circuit courts of appeal, a new layer of intermediate appellate courts that would hear appeals from the district courts, and gave the Supreme Court more discretion in deciding which cases to hear.

A.   Establishing a master list

B.   Identifying peremptory challenges

C.   None of these

D.   Court of Appeals Act of 1891

32: Is court reporter someone whose job it is to record all the court proceedings and to produce a transcript of the trial?

A.   True

B.   False

33: _____ is the officials—judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and courtroom support staff—who work together day after day to process the criminal and civil cases that come before the court.

A.   Courtroom workgroup

B.   None of these

C.   The next highest court in the federal system

D.   State Supreme Court

34: _____ is defined as questioning that follows the direct examination of a witness. The attorney who did not call the witness to the stand has an opportunity to question the witness about the statements made during the direct examination.

A.   State supreme courts

B.   Cross-examination

C.   Conspiracy

D.   All of these

35: _____ is known as attorneys who represent the defendant in a case as effectively as possible while acting within the rules of the court.

A.   Credible

B.   Defense attorneys

C.   None of these

D.   Testimonial

36: Is direct appeal an appeal by a defendant claiming he or she did not receive a fair trial. It is allowed by every jurisdiction by statute; it is not a constitutional right?

A.   True

B.   False

37: _____ is questioning of a witness by the attorney who called the witness to the stand.

A.   Direct examination

B.   Specific deterrence

C.   None of these

D.   General deterrence

38: _____ is defined as the process by which both parties to a case learn of the evidence the opposing side will use at trial.

A.   Discovery

B.   Decentralized

C.   Centralized

D.   All of these

39: _____ is known as a situation where the opposing parties are from different states.

A.   Testimonial evidence

B.   Diversity of citizenship

C.   All of these

D.   Real evidence

40: Is election the most commonly used form of judicial selection. The vast majority of state court judges are elected. Elections can be either partisan or nonpartisan?

A.   True

B.   False

41: _____ is appeals court justices will sit as a group, consisting of every judge on the court, to clear up any conflicting decisions.

A.   None of these

B.   En banc

C.   Warrant

D.   Probable cause

42: _____ is defined as witnesses relied on to introduce scientific and other complicated forms of evidence.

A.   None of these

B.   Irresistible impulse test

C.   Common law

D.   Expert witnesses

43: _____ is known as a court that has the authority to hear a variety of cases. The court is not limited to one type of case.

A.   Coordinated

B.   General jurisdiction

C.   Private

D.   All of these

44: Is geographic jurisdiction the authority of courts to hear cases that arise within specified boundaries, such as city, county, state, or country?

A.   False

B.   True

45: _____ is an indirect appeal that can be made by an incarcerated individual in which the authority of the state to incarcerate the individual is challenged. Habeas corpus requires the person to whom the writ is directed to either produce the person challenging his or her confinement or release that person from custody. A document challenging the legality of a person’s detention.

A.   Habeas corpus

B.   Venire

C.   All of these

D.   Voir dire

46: _____ is defined as the division of responsibilities and functions among the various courts.

A.   Hierarchical jurisdiction

B.   Venire

C.   All of these

D.   Indictment

47: _____ is known as formal process for removing judges. At the federal level, it involves impeachment (or accusation) of a federal judge in the House of Representatives and trial in the U.S. Senate. Most states also provide for impeachment of state court judges.

A.   Nuisance doctrine

B.   Uniform commercial code

C.   Impeachment

D.   None of these

48: Is indirect appeal an appeal that does not directly challenge the defendant’s conviction; the primary one is the writ of habeas corpus, which challenges the state’s right to incarcerate someone?

A.   True

B.   False

49: _____ is the first court appearance. Once a person is arrested, he or she must be brought before a magistrate “without unnecessary delay.” It is here that bail is set.

A.   Initial appearance

B.   Cross-examination

C.   Impeachment

D.   None of these

50: _____ is defined as referees, responsible for enforcing court rules, instructing the jury on the law, ruling on the admissibility of evidence, and determining the law.

A.   Coordinated

B.   Fixed-price

C.   All of these

D.   Judges