Show:
The Basics
The Texas Judiciary
Local Government
Local Government
Crime and Corrections Policy
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 prison system is operated by _________________.
What is the Department of Criminal Justice?
200
_______________ is the smallest county in the state of Texas.
What is Loving County?
200
______________ involves violation of criminal statutes; if guilty, punishment can involve loss of liberty or life.
What is criminal law?
200
___________________ were created to promote coordination across boundaries for special districts.
What are Councils of Government?
200
A __________ is a serious criminal offense that subjects a person fine or imprisonment
What is a felony?
300
____________ is the state with the highest number of executions of death row inmates per year.
What is Texas?
300
Grand juries decide weather or not there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial by issuing an __________.
What is an indictment?
300
_______________ cities are allowed to make their own ordinances without the state legislature's initiative.
What are home-rule cities?
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 decision of a criminal jury must be unanimous; the standard of proof is ______________.
What is “beyond a reasonable doubt”?
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
The _____________ provision allows persons convicted of three felonies to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
What is the “three strikes” provision?
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
_____________ was the federal case that focused on issues of crowding, security and supervision, health care, discipline, and access to the courts
What is Ruiz v. Estelle?