Deck 1: Getting Started : Basic Concepts and Definitions

Question 1

Once the Supreme Court issues a decision, both the majority opinions and dissenting opinions are recorded in court documents, but only the majority opinions can be cited in future cases.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

When a Circuit Court rules on a case, that ruling is binding only on lower courts from states within that Circuit, but may still be cited in cases in other states.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The governments of Canada, New Zealand, and Uruguay recognize the value of freedom of expression in a way similar to that of the United States Constitution.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Court rulings, as well as law enforcement policy, have determined that private citizens may not videotape the work of police officers at traffic stops.

Question 5

Court rulings have determined that motorists may not flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn motorists of speed traps in the area.

Question 6

The history of free speech can be traced back to which time period?

A) the announcement of the invention of fire, millions of years B. C.
B) ancient Greece between 800 and 400 B. C.
C) the American Revolutionary War, late 1700s
D) the modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s
E) the abortion debates of the 1990s

Question 7

In countries ruled by military dictators or heavily influenced by religious doctrine, it is dangerous for citizens to do which of the following?

A) ridicule government leaders by name
B) question religious principles
C) criticize government policy
D) conduct online research on controversial issues
E) all of the above

Question 8

The term "revenge porn" was recently coined to refer to what alleged crime?

A) burning down adult movie theatres to protest their presence in certain neighborhoods
B) mailing pornographic magazines and videos to political candidates you don't like
C) posting intimate photographs and videos of an ex-lover on social media
D) bombing or threatening to bomb the editorial offices of pornographic magazines or the facilities of pornographic movie studios

Question 9

If you file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court and it issues a "writ of certiorari," what has the court told you?

A) we will not hear your case; go away and don't bother us again
B) we cannot hear your case because it is outside our jurisdiction
C) we will review your case
D) we will send your case back to the lower case to be tried again

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true concerning federal courts and the review of cases from lower courts?

A) The U.S. Supreme Court is governed by the rule of mandatory review and must review every case that comes to it, but Circuit Courts of Appeal are governed by the rule of discretionary review and can refuse to hear cases
B) Circuit Courts of Appeal are governed by the rule of mandatory review and must review every case that comes to them, but the U.S. Supreme Court is governed by the rule of discretionary review and can refuse to hear cases
C) both are governed by the rule of mandatory review
D) both are governed by the rule of discretionary review

Question 11

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution provides that U.S. citizens are citizens of the United States before they are citizens of the states in which they reside, and therefore no state law can invalidate or take priority over a federal law or constitutional right. The formal name for this provision is

A) the establishment clause
B) separation of church and state
C) stare decisis
D) equal protection clause
E) Blackstonian Doctrine

Question 12

The source of law that results from decisions made by government officials such as the U.S. president, a state's governor, or a city's mayor, is known as

A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Question 13

The source of law that consists of judges' decisions that are based on the accumulation of previous cases and precedents is known as

A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Question 14

The source of law that consists of laws that are passed by elected governmental bodies such as the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, county commissions, and city councils, is known as

A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive orders
E) common law

Question 15

The source of law that consists of rules made by regulatory agencies that are part of the executive branch of the federal government and whose members are appointed (rather than elected) is known as

A) constitutional law
B) statutory law
C) administrative law
D) executive law
E) common law

Question 16

When the U.S. Supreme Court declines to review a case from lower courts, which of the following is most likely to be true?

A) the decision not to review a case means the Supreme Court agrees with the ruling or rulings or lower court(s)
B) the court believes the issue involved is not significant enough
C) the issue involved is a media rights case and not within the court's jurisdiction
D) this is a trick question, as the Supreme Court has mandatory review and must consider all appeals

Question 17

The model of media regulation under which American media operate today is known as the

A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Question 18

The model of media regulation in which the media operate as a branch of national government is known as the

A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Question 19

The model of media regulation in which the media are privately owned but subject to governmental control and licensing is known as the

A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model

Question 20

A model of media regulation in which the media have complete freedom and can operate with little or no fear of libel suits or other punishment is known as the

A) authoritarian model
B) libertarian model
C) social responsibility model
D) Soviet-Communist model