Exam 7: The Criminal Courts

Which court is the nation's highest court?

The resolution of criminal cases more often entails competition than compromise.

This is a dispute between two private parties.

Williams v. Florida ruled that any criminal defendant facing a punishment of more than 6 months of incarceration has the right to trial by jury.

This act authorizes the pretrial detention of categories of offenses or offenders.

Double jeopardy occurs when the jury cannot reach consensus.

By pleading __________, the conviction from criminal courts cannot be used against the defendant in other proceedings, especially civil actions.

________ courts have developed and spread to deal with a range of community problems through the application of the criminal law.

This plea shifts the burden of proof form the state to the defense.

Trials occur in more than 20% of felony cases in the United States.

These courts are fact-finding bodies whose job it is to determine the facts of a case.

To this day, each U.S. district court has two states within its jurisdiction.

Defendants charged with _____ are least likely to obtain release before trial

Police tend to be "forward looking" in attempting to justify an arrest, whereas the prosecutor is "backward looking" in attempting to predict the likelihood of successful prosecution.

With the exception of traffic cases, the civil caseload represents the largest portion of court workload.

Which of the following is a criticism of bail bond agents?

The jury trial is the "balance wheel" of the court process.

In most cases, the Supreme Court is not obligated to decide a case and only elects to do so by granting a writ of certiorari.

____________ means that a defendant has significant ties to the community and as such, would be released without posting bail.

The bail decision is typically not concerned with assessing evidence.