Court Process MCQs
Court Process MCQs
Answer these 40+ Court Process MCQs and assess your grip on the subject of Court Process.
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1: How is a U.S. Circuit Court Chief Judge chosen?
A. Seniority
B. Appointment by the president
C. Appointment by the senate
D. Elected through nonpartisan elections
2: What happens if a defendant’s right to a speedy trial has been violated?
A. The indictment is dismissed.
B. The prosecutor is held in contempt of court.
C. The charges are automatically reduced.
D. A plea bargain is automatically issued.
3: Which posttrial motion is almost always denied?
A. Motion by the prosecution to increase the sentence
B. Motion to suppress evidence
C. Motion for a change of venue
D. Motion to override jury’s decision and grant the defendant a new trial
4: What is the goal of discovery?
A. Sharing information with the judge
B. Finding the defendant guilty
C. Promoting a fair trial
D. Determining if evidence exonerates the defendant
5: Why is the judiciary considered to be the “least dangerous branch” of the government?
A. Legal decisions are not generally binding except in very specific circumstances.
B. The court is not capable of policy-making, and the legislative and executive branches are capable of policy-making.
C. The court’s only function is to interpret vague constitutional and statutory language.
D. Court decisions can be overturned by legislative action, and it has no enforcement powers.
6: Which court is the most likely to shape legal precedent in the geographic district you live in due to the fact that it is more often the last word on legal issues?
A. U.S. Supreme Court
B. U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals
C. U.S. district courts
D. Limited jurisdiction trial courts
7: Which type of court has the legal authority to decide all matters not delegated by state law to lower courts of limited jurisdiction?
A. State courts of last resort
B. Public courts of state jurisdiction
C. Trial courts of general jurisdiction
D. U.S. Circuit Courts
8: There is no appeal to a higher authority available after a decision is made by which of the following courts?
A. State intermediate court of appeals
B. U.S. Supreme Court
C. U.S. District Court
D. U.S. Circuit Court
9: One of the features of the ______ system is that there are checks and balances on all courtroom actors to protect against impropriety and misuse of the criminal court system.
A. Preliminary
B. Adversarial
C. Diversion
D. Circuit
10: How do we refer to the trial courts that typically handle misdemeanors and the preliminary stages of felony offenses?
A. Trial courts of limited jurisdiction
B. Trial courts of general jurisdiction
C. Appellate courts
D. Courts of last resort
11: Quashing of evidence, change of venue, and discovery are all examples ______ motions.
A. Appeals
B. Arraignment
C. Peremptory
D. Pretrial
12: It is impossible for a prosecutor to appeal an acquittal because the appeal would ______.
A. Violate the Fifth Amendment protection against double jeopardy
B. Be too costly for the state
C. Overburden the already overworked criminal justice system
D. Be unlikely to succeed
13: In about half of all states, if a prosecutor wishes to formerly charge an individual with a crime but does not want to give the defense the advantage of hearing the evidence in their case, what pretrial proceeding would they prefer?
A. Grand jury
B. Arraignment
C. Preliminary hearing
D. Causal hearing
14: At what point during the trial does the judge explain that guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt?
A. Opening statements
B. Preliminary instructions
C. Jury instructions
D. Jury deliberations
15: Which of the following is true of state intermediate courts of appeal (ICA)?
A. All states have an intermediate court of appeal in addition to a court of last resort.
B. Decisions in ICAs are made by the entire court, rather than a panel of judges.
C. ICAs are also known as courts of last resort.
D. ICAs were created to try and manage the caseload burden on state supreme courts.
16: _____ is known as a legal system wherein there is a contest between two opposing sides, with a judge (and possibly a jury) sitting as an impartial arbiter, seeking truth.
A. Adversarial System
B. Pursue
C. Apprehend
D. All of these
17: Is arraignment a criminal court proceeding during which a formally charged defendant is informed of the charges and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty?
A. True
B. False
18: _____ is surety (e.g., cash or paper bond) provided by a defendant to guarantee his or her return to court to answer to criminal charges.
A. Bail
B. Be older than 25 years of age
C. Have the ability to relocate
D. None of these
19: _____ is defined as the clerical procedure that occurs after an arrestee is taken to jail, during which a record is made of his or her name, address, charge(s), arresting officers, and time and place of arrest.
A. Booking
B. Law enforcement officer
C. Bailiff
D. None of these
20: _____ is known as a link between one’s act and the injurious act or crime, such as one tossing a match in a forest and igniting a deadly fire.
A. Causation
B. Judicial Activism
C. None of these
D. All of these
21: Is circuit Courts originally courts wherein judges traveled a circuit to hear appeals, now courts with several counties or districts in their jurisdiction; the federal court system contains 11 circuit courts of appeals (plus the District of Columbia and territories), which hear appeals from district courts?
A. True
B. False
22: _____ is the last court that may hear a case at the state or federal level.
A. Court Of Last Resort
B. Citizens do not call the police.
C. Most cases cannot be solved, no matter how fast police respond.
D. None of these
23: _____ is defined as an attempt (usually by defense counsel) to have a criminal trial continued until a later date.
A. Delay (Trial)
B. Dealing with drug or alcohol addiction
C. Dealing with discomfort over the way they’re treated by others due to their highly respected status
D. None of these
24: _____ is known as a procedure wherein both the prosecution and the defense exchange and share information as to witnesses to be used, results of tests, recorded statements by defendants, or psychiatric reports, so that there are no major surprises at trial.
A. Discovery
B. Retribution
C. Deterrence
D. All of these
25: Is district Courts trial courts at the county, state, or federal level with general and original jurisdiction?
A. True
B. False
26: _____ is a sentencing alternative that removes a case from the criminal justice system, typically to move a defendant into another treatment program or modality.
A. Diversion Program
B. High-profile individuals
C. Both a and b
D. None of these
27: _____ is defined as the state and federal court systems of the United States.
A. Dual Court System
B. Plain view Doctrine
C. Separate Doctrine
D. All of these
28: _____ is known as in the Bill of Rights, it contains the protection against excessive bail and fines, as well as cruel and unusual punishment.
A. Eighth Amendment
B. Conflict
C. Due process
D. None of these
29: Is federal Court System the four-tiered federal system that includes the Supreme Court, circuit courts of appeal, district courts, and magistrate courts?
A. True
B. False
30: _____ is a body that hears evidence and determines probable cause regarding crimes and can return formal charges against suspects; use, size, and functions vary among the states.
A. Grand Jury
B. Overburden the already overworked criminal justice system
C. Be unlikely to succeed
D. None of these
31: _____ is defined as a formal proceeding during which the accused is read his or her rights and informed of the charges and the amount of bail required to secure pretrial release.
A. Initial Appearance
B. Needs
C. None
D. All of these
32: _____ is known as a state court that stands between a trial court and a court of last resort; it typically has appellate jurisdiction only.
A. Intermediate Court Of Appeals
B. Graham v. Florida
C. Miller v. Alabama
D. All of these
33: Is jurisdiction, Court the authority of a court to hear a particular type of case, based on geography (city, state, or federal) and subject matter (e.g., criminal, civil, probate)?
A. True
B. False
34: _____ is a preconviction process between the prosecutor and the accused in which a plea of guilty is given by the defendant, with certain specified considerations in return—for example, having several charges or counts tossed out, and a plea by the prosecutor to the court for leniency or shorter sentence.
A. Plea Negotiation (Or Bargaining)
B. Citizens wait to call the police (average 40 minutes).
C. Citizens do not give correct information.
D. All of these
35: _____ is defined as the act of creating laws or setting standards to govern the activities of government; the U.S. Supreme Court, for example, has engaged in policy making in several areas, such as affirmative action, voting, and freedom of communication and expression.
A. Policy Making
B. Infraction
C. Status offense
D. All of these
36: _____ is known as A stage in the criminal process conducted by a magistrate to determine whether a person charged with a crime should be held for trial based on probable cause; does not determine guilt or innocence.
A. Preliminary Hearing
B. Exemptionary Evidence
C. Exclusive Evidence
D. All of these
37: Is pretrial Motions/Processes Any number of motions filed by prosecutors and defense attorneys prior to trial, for instance, to quash evidence, change venue, conduct discovery, challenge a search or seizure, raise doubts about expert witnesses, or exclude a defendant’s confession ?
A. True
B. False
38: _____ is later amended, a law originally enacted to ensure compliance with the Sixth Amendment’s provision for a speedy trial by requiring that a federal case be brought to trial no more than 100 days following the arrest.
A. Speedy Trial Act Of 1974
B. Head of the Court
C. None of these
D. All of these
39: _____ is defined as a legal doctrine requiring that one must not be a party to a lawsuit unless he or she has a personal stake in its outcome.
A. Standing
B. Deliberates
C. All of these
D. None of these
40: _____ is known as civil or criminal courts in which cases are decided through an adversarial process; typically including a court of last resort, an appellate court, trial courts, and lower courts.
A. State Court System
B. Inherently wrong
C. Prohibited
D. None of these
41: Is trial Process all of the steps in the adjudicatory process, from indictment or charge to conviction or acquittal?
A. True
B. False
42: _____ is the court of last resort in the United States, also the highest appellate court; it consists of nine justices who are appointed for life.
A. U.S. Supreme Court
B. Courtroom civility
C. Professional ethics
D. All of these
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