The Court System
The highest court in the United States
The Supreme Court
Approximate number of cases handled by U.S. courts each year
12 million
The rule that excludes illegally obtained evidence from trial
The Exclusionary Rule
The year the Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional as applied
1972
How many pistols and revolvers do Americans own
65 million
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
A: The Bill of Rights
Leading cause of death among Black males aged 25–45 in urban areas
Homicide
What police must tell a suspect before questioning
Right to remain silent and have an attorney
Number of prisoners executed between 1980 and 1985
47
Percentage of Americans who favored registration of handguns in 1985
70 percent
The year the U.S. Constitution was written
1787
Percentage of Americans afraid to go out alone at night in 1983
45 percent
The year the Miranda rule was established
1966
Why the Supreme Court found the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972
Applied disproportionately to Blacks and minorities
What proponents of gun control want the government to require
Registration of all handguns and background checks
The final interpreter of the Constitution
The Supreme Court
Percentage of people in illegal activity who are actually caught
20 percent
Constitutional protection against this type of punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment
What supporters call the death penalty for sadistic murderers
The only appropriate punishment
What Congress did in 1985 regarding gun restrictions
Passed a bill to loosen restrictions on firearms
What is special about federal judges' appointments?
They are appointed for life
Three examples of organized crime networks in the text
The Mafia, drug smuggling rings, and street gangs
Why some guilty suspects go free under the exclusionary rule
Evidence was obtained illegally
What opponents say about the deterrent effect of the death penalty
Not enough evidence that murderers are deterred by execution
The New York subway passenger who shot four youths in self-defense in 1984
Bernhard Goetz