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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who typed Jacob's legal brief in the Gideon case?
(a) Personal assistant.
(b) Law clerk.
(c) Legal secretary.
(d) Jacob's wife.

2. What would add to chaos if the Betts rule were to be overturned?
(a) Riots in prisons all across America.
(b) Law schools would have to change curriculum.
(c) Media interviews would overwhelm them.
(d) Mass filing of appeals from current prisoners.

3. What do some attorneys consider oral arguments to be?
(a) A waste of time.
(b) A formality.
(c) An imperative.
(d) A nuisance.

4. The Supreme Court Justices are aware that many of the cases they hear are the result of __________________.
(a) An overloaded local court system.
(b) Unskilled judges in the local courts.
(c) A defendant's lack of a defense attorney.
(d) A poor State Court system.

5. In the Betts vs. Brady case in 1942, in what state did Smith Betts live?
(a) Maryland,
(b) Montana.
(c) Virginia.
(d) Ohio.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the case in which the the opinion indicates that federal defendants should always have the right to an attorney?

2. Overall, the courts deal with ____________ while the legislature deals with abstraction in large numbers.

3. Who is the young lawyer assigned to defend the state's position in Gideon's case?

4. Which of the following is an indigent person unable to afford that a rich defendant can?

5. Most prisoners currently jailed without the benefit of an attorney do not have which of the following characteristics that Gideon possesses?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the impact of the Gideon ruling regarding getting support for attorneys who are appointed to criminal cases?

2. How do Fortas and Jacob differ in their perceptions of Supreme Court procedure?

3. What is State Judge Walter V. Schaefer's reasoning on why the right to an attorney is greater than all other rights?

4. What is the author's reply to those who may question whether a case like Gideon's should be managed through legislation or allowed to proceed to the Supreme Court?

5. What is the premise of the brief written by George D. Mentz of the Alabama Attorney General's office which supports Jacob's case?

6. What form of support does Jacob get to help him defend the state position in the trial?

7. What embarrassing statement does Jacob make in dialogue regarding Gideon representing someone else in court?

8. What does John Hart Ely discover about Florida cases while doing research for Gideon's Supreme Court case?

9. What does Fortas believe would be the surest way to get assenting opinions from the Justices in Gideon's case?

10. What is Justice Harlan's simple statement that overturns Betts vs. Brady?

(see the answer keys)

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