The Basics
The Texas Judiciary
Local Government
Local Government
Public Finance
100
_______________ deals with disputes between private individuals.
What is civil law?
100
The _________________ is the highest court in Texas for criminal cases.
What is the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals?
100
______________ are the main source of revenue for special districts.
What are property taxes?
100
Each school district is governed by an ___________________.
What is an elected board of trustees?
100
The Texas Constitution mandates a “________ budget”
What is balanced?
200
With a ____________ such as sales tax, the tax burden falls more heavily on lower-income individuals
What is a regressive tax?
200
______________ involves violation of criminal statutes; if guilty, punishment can involve loss of liberty or life.
What is criminal law?
200
_______________ cities are allowed to make their own ordinances without the state legislature's initiative.
What are home-rule cities?
200
___________________ were created to promote coordination across boundaries for special districts.
What are Councils of Government?
200
The budget is addressed in Articles ____,____, and _____ of the Texas Constitution.
What are Articles 3, 8, and 16?
300
The _________________ is responsible for drawing up and passing the budget.
What is the legislature (The legislative budget board)?
300
Grand juries decide weather or not there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial by issuing an __________.
What is an indictment?
300
“____________” cities and towns may act or organize themselves only as explicitly permitted by statutory law passed by the state legislature
What is general-law?
300
_________________ cities and towns may act or organize themselves only as explicitly permitted by statutory law passed by the state legislature
What are general-law cities?
300
The __________________ funds primary and secondary schools.
What is the Permanent School Fund (PSF)?
400
A strategy used by prosecutors to get high conviction rates is through _____________ whereby the defendant is bypassing due process and presents his or her case to a judge.
What is plea bargaining?
400
______________, _____________, ______________, _____________ are the minimal requirements to serve in either the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals or the Texas Supreme Court.
What is being a U.S. citizen, a resident of Texas, be at least 35 years of age, and have been either a practicing lawyer or judge for at least 10 years?
400
The ______________, _______________, and _______________ are the three major forms of government for home-rule cities.
What are the mayor-council, the commissioner structure, and the council-manager forms of government?
400
Creation of a special district begins with _______________.
What is a petition signed by the residents of the area to be served?
400
_____________________ is the budget for a nondedicated revenue account that functions as the state’s primary operating fund
What is the General Revenues Fund budget?
500
The ______________________ deals with investigating misconduct and disability and with discipline of judges.
What is the State Commission on Judicial Conduct?
500
Because of the high cost of taking cases to court, these are often sealed through ____________ or _____________.
What is mediation or arbitration?
500
_____________ and _______________ are the two types of special districts in the state.
What are school districts and non school special districts?
500
A ______________ is a unit of local government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area.
What is a special district?
500
With a _____________, the tax burden falls more heavily on upper-income individuals
What is a progressive tax?
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