U1 - Foundations of Law Quiz Review

Question 1

What are the 5 reasons for laws?

Answer 1

To protect people’s safety,
protect people’s property,
bring order to society,
promote the common good of people,
and to protect individual freedoms.

Question 2

What are the 2 ways that laws develop?

Answer 2

Decisions made by judges and legislatures (whether state, federal, or local)
Common law, statutes, and ordinances

Question 3

What is common law?

Answer 3

Laws developed though decisions made by judges

Question 4

What is a statute VS an ordinance

Answer 4

Statutes: laws written by federal or state gov’t legistature
Ordincances: laws passed by local governments (i.e. councils, board of alderman, board of edu)

Question 5

What is the oldest code of law?

Answer 5

Code of Hammurabi

Question 6

How do we keep track of laws?

Answer 6

We organise them into legal codes, which are a written collection of laws organised by subject (i.e. constutution)

Question 7

What are the two types of laws? What do they each mean?

Answer 7

Criminal & Civil
Criminal > brought on by the government
Civil > settles disagreements between individuals (contracts, property, et cetera)

Question 8

What is crime? What are the 3 behaviors?

Answer 8

Any behavior that is illegal because it harms people, harms society, or involves stolen or damaged property

Question 9

What does “any behavior that is illegal becasue it harms people or society or involves stolen or damaged property” define?

Answer 9

Crime

Question 10

What do certain crimes have that allow people guilty of the same crime to recieve different punishments?

Answer 10

maximum and minimum penalties

Question 11

What is a misdemeanor? Can you give an example or two?

Answer 11

A less serious crim with punishment of a jail sentence of a year or less and/or a fine. (i.e. tresspassing, petty theft [under $200] public intoxication, et cetera)

Question 12

What is a felony? Can you provide an example or two?

Answer 12

A more serious crime with punishment being a jail sentence that is more than a year and/or a fine. (i.e. murder, kidnapping, arson, burglary)

Question 13

What are 2 basic facts about bills?

Answer 13

90% die in committee
Only 5% of bills proposed actually become law

Question 14

What is it when a Senator tries to delay the vote on a bill by giving a really long speech?

Answer 14

filibuster

Question 15

What are the first 4 steps for a bill to become a law?

Answer 15

1: the idea has to be proposed
2: the first draft needs to be sponsored by a senator or a representative in the house
3: once introduced, it is assigned a number and recorded
4: it is sent to a committee (a smaller group of congress with experts in a certain area) and, after appropriately reviewed and changed, it is sent to the chamber of the House/Senate for approval

Question 16

What are the last 4 steps for a bill to become a law?

Answer 16

5: goes to the house it was proposed in, and if approved it goes to the other
6: goes through the same 4 steps in other house, then sent to the President for a vote
7: the President has to sign the bill, or veto it. If he does neither after 10 days, it will become law only if Congress it in session. If not, it is called a pocket veto.
8: The Senate & House can choose to override the Pres’s veto by taking another vote. But, to override the bill must pass both Senate & House by 2/3 major

Question 17

What is the difference between a right and a responsibility? Can you give an example?

Answer 17

RIGHT: something that the government does not give you; you already can do it and is something you deserve.
(i.e. right to drive, right to free speech, right to vote)
RESPONSIBILITY: something the government gives you that you must obey
(i.e. paying your taxes, following traffic laws, jury duty)

Question 18

What is the Declaration of Human Rights? Who created it and what did it do? (Give main declaration and 2 other rights)

Answer 18

Created by the UN and Elanor Roosevely in 1948 after WWII.
It gave human rights to everyone regardless of gender, race, skin color, language, religion, status, et cetera.
People born free and equal, live in freedom and safety, freedom from slavery/torture, right to public impartial trial, free speech, freedom of religion

Question 19

What branch of the government is Congress? What is its main responsibility?

Answer 19

The legislative branch; to make laws

Question 20

How many houses does the House of Representatives have, and how many members are there in the House, and in the Senate?

Answer 20

2 houses
435 house members
100 senate members

Question 21

Use of the US Constitution

Answer 21

divides power to make laws between federal and state governments

Question 22

How do laws passed by Congress affect the states?

Answer 22

they affect all of the states

Question 23

How do laws passed by state legislatures apply to the states?

Answer 23

they only apply to their respective state

Question 24

What does the Supremecy Clause state?

Answer 24

(based on Artical 6 of the constitution)
It states that federal power/law trumps state power/law
(national interest more important than individual state’s interest)

Question 25

What states that, based on Article 6 of the Constitution, “federal power/law trumps state power/law?”

Answer 25

The Supremacy Clause

Question 26

Who can propose ideas for bills?

Answer 26

The President, special interest groups, members of Congress, and regular citizens