State & Local Govt Chapter 9 Page 1 of 4
CHAPTER 9
Multiple Choice
1. The term jurisdiction means the
a. court’s authority to try a case for the second time.
b. court’s authority to appeal a case.
c. prosecutor’s authority to appeal a case.
d. court’s authority to hear a particular case.
2. Which statement is not correct?
a. Civil law exists to protect rights and property.
b. Criminal law exists to protect society from unlawful actions of individuals.
c. The plaintiff is the person or party who is being sued.
d. Anyone may file a civil lawsuit if he or she feels that the defendant caused some type of monetary,
emotional, or physical harm.
3. The burden of proof in a civil case is based on
a. preponderance of evidence.
b. beyond a reasonable doubt.
c. beyond the shadow of doubt.
d. voir dire.
4. Which of the following is not true about a criminal case?
a. It can be initiated by an individual or a party.
b. It is initiated by a prosecutor.
c. The prosecutor’s job is to prove the case in court.
d. The victim does not have to retain an attorney.
5. The trial court has
a. overlapping jurisdiction.
b. original jurisdiction.
c. appellate jurisdiction.
d. concurrent jurisdiction.
6. Which of the following is not a conclusion reached by a court of appeal judge after reviewing a case?
a. Uphold
b. Reprimand
c. Reverse
d. Remand
7. Which of the following courts has jurisdiction over Class C Misdemeanor crimes?
a. municipal court
b. district court
c. probate court
d. constitutional county court
8. Which court cannot hear civil cases?
a. District
b. Municipal
c. Justice of the Peace
d. County Court at-Law

State & Local Govt Chapter 9 Page 2 of 4
9. City ordinance violations are punishable by a maximum fine of
a. $2,000.
b. $1,500.
c. $1,000.
d. $500.
10. State wide, what percentage of municipal court judges have graduated from law school?
a. About 75%
b. About 50%
c. About 40%
d. About 20%
11. The majority of cases handled by justice of the peace courts involve
a. criminal cases.
b. civil cases in which the amount in a dispute is under $10,000.
c. civil cases in which the amount in a dispute is under $5,000.
d. DWI.
12. All of these functions are performed by the justice of the peace except:
a. Arraignment of prisoners
b. Issuance of criminal arrest warrants
c. Issuance of peace bonds
d. Issuance of restraining order
13. The county courts-at-law and constitutional courts have
a. original jurisdiction.
b. appellate jurisdiction.
c. both original and appellate jurisdiction.
d. about 1,000 judges.
14. A bench trial means
a. trial by jury.
b. trial by grand jury.
c. trial without a judge.
d. the judge determines issues of facts.
15. Trial de Novo means
a. no trial will take place.
b. no bill.
c. a new trial is held.
d. jury trial
16. County court at-law’s original jurisdiction includes all of these cases except:
a. assault resulting in bodily injury.
b. driving while intoxicated.
c. possession of marijuana.
d. rape.
17. Plea bargaining
a. is illegal in Texas.
b. sets the guilty free of charges.
c. is a process in which the lawyer for the accused negotiates a relatively lighter sentence in return for a guilty
plea.
d. costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

State & Local Govt Chapter 9 Page 3 of 4
18. The court of original jurisdiction in felony crimes is the
a. Supreme Court.
b. District Court.
c. County Court at-Law.
d. Appeals Court.
19. Which of the following statements is not true about Texas courts of appeals?
a. the Appellate court system is made up of intermediate and supreme.
b. Their jurisdiction extends to cases that have been tried in the courts of original jurisdiction.
c. In most cases, a panel of three judges will review a case.
d. Their judges are elected for four-year terms in nonpartisan elections.
20. The last court of resort in criminal cases is the
a. court of appeals.
b. Criminal Court of Appeals.
c. Supreme Court.
d. Probate Court.
21. Judges who embrace judicial activism as a judicial philosophy argue judges should
a. not get involved in public policymaking.
b. get involved in public policymaking.
c. get involved in strict interpretation of the Constitution.
d. get involved in strict application of laws to cases.
22. Texas is part of how many states requiring their judges to run in partisan elections?
a. 11
b. 9
c. 7
d. 5
23. All of these are the reasons why Texas elects rather than appoints most of its judges except:
a. Texas’s traditionalistic political culture.
b. Texas’s moralistic political culture.
c. Texans distrust of government.
d. Texans distrust of politicians.
24. The Missouri Plan includes all of these except
a. election of local judges and appointment of state judges.
b. judges eventually stand for election.
c. the governor chooses from a short list of potential judges.
d. judges run opposed in retention elections.
25. Judicial reformists in Texas argue in favor of all these reforms except:
a. abolishing the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
b. having one highest state court.
c. abolishing partisan election of judges.
d. introducing straight-ticket voting to elect judges.
True/False
1. A court must have jurisdiction over the matter before it can hear it.
2. Criminal law is distinguished from civil law by the fact that it is structured and codified, meaning that the
criminal laws are contained in various “codes.”
3. The litigants in a criminal case are represented by attorneys they personally hire.

State & Local Govt Chapter 9 Page 4 of 4
4. Municipal courts have the authority to hear traffic offenses, such as those involving injuries or
intoxication.
5. Since the justice court is somewhat informal, plaintiffs and defendants are not required to hire
attorneys to state their cases.
6. The county courts’ appellate jurisdiction is limited and stems from cases that are appealed from
municipal courts and justice courts.
7. In the civil arena, there is a limit as to the monetary damages a plaintiff may seek in the district court.
8. The intermediate courts hear all appeals from the state’s county and district courts, except capital
murder cases in which the defendant is sentenced to death.
9. The Criminal Court of Appeals has the constitutional responsibility for establishing civil procedural
rules and for overseeing the efficient administration of the state’s entire judicial system.
10. In 2004, Perry appointed Wallace B. Jefferson the state’s first African American Chief Justice of the
Texas Supreme Court