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Quiz about US Chief Justices
Quiz about US Chief Justices

U.S. Chief Justices Trivia Quiz


The Constitution only mentions the Chief Justice once, how often have you mentioned one of these 17 men? Interesting Information compiled from The Supreme Court Historical Society, OYEZ.org, and Wikipedia.com.

A multiple-choice quiz by arsenalvcc. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
arsenalvcc
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
228,687
Updated
Jun 02 23
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
10 / 15
Plays
655
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. Who was appointed Chief Justice by President George W Bush? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Which of the following was appointed Chief Justice by a Democrat? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. While it is said that he resembled Mark Twain, who is most well known for fully upholding the "separate but equal" decision in Plessy v. Ferguson? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Nominated in 1789 by George Washington, he was the first Chief Justice. Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. A defender of States rights and Slavery, who wrote the "Dred Scott Decision?" Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. These two served as Chief Justice for terms of 4 and 21 months respectively. Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Who was the first Chief Justice to preside over an impeachment of a US President? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. His nomination was unique, not for any color reason, but because he was a Democrat, who was raised from Associate Justice to Chief Justice by a Republican President. Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Which Chief Justice is the only person to serve in the highest office in both the Executive and Judicial Branch of the Federal Government? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. Which Chief Justice's court established the doctrine of Judicial Review with Marbury v. Madison? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Who was known as the "Superchief," not as the "Commissioner," and his court ruled against the segregation of schools in Brown v. The Board of Education? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. He ignored the 14th Amendment and wrote the decision that heavy-handedly struck down the Enforcement Act, allowing groups like the KKK to continue the Jim Crow era in the South. Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. As Chief Justice, who sided with the majority in the still controversial Roe v. Wade case? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Before becoming Chief Justice, one was narrowly defeated by Wilson in the 1916 Presidential Election, and the other served as Attorney General, where he appointed J. Edgar Hoover to head the Bureau of Investigation. Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. Who added four Gold Stripes to his robe after being inspired by the Lord Chancellor's costume in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe? Hint



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Oct 06 2024 : Guest 47: 8/15
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who was appointed Chief Justice by President George W Bush?

Answer: John Roberts

Roberts entered Harvard University as a Sophomore, and worked at a steel mill to help pay for his schooling. He became Principal Deputy Solicitor General in 1989, where he argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court, prevailing in 25. In July 2005 President Bush nominated Roberts to fill the impending vacancy that was to be created by the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, but Bush changed the nomination to Chief Justice following the death of Rehnquist in August.
2. Which of the following was appointed Chief Justice by a Democrat?

Answer: Frederick M. Vinson

Remember, we are looking for Chief Justices. Bill Clinton appointed Stephen Breyer in 1994, but not as Chief Justice. While he was serving in the House of Representatives, Vinson made friends with a Senator from Missouri named Harry Truman. In 1946 President Truman nominated him to fill the vacant Chief Justice position in a deeply divided Supreme Court. (Some Justices would not even speak to one another.) His final public appearance came when he read the decision of the court not to review the conviction and death sentence of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
3. While it is said that he resembled Mark Twain, who is most well known for fully upholding the "separate but equal" decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Answer: Melville Fuller

Plessy v. Ferguson upheld a Louisiana law that required separate train cars for blacks and whites. Mark Twain was once mistaken for Fuller, and the person asked for the Chief Justice's autograph. It is said that Twain wrote: It is delicious to be full, but it is heavenly to be Fuller. I am cordially yours, Melville W. Fuller.
4. Nominated in 1789 by George Washington, he was the first Chief Justice.

Answer: John Jay

John Jay had only served for 6 years when he was elected Governor of New York State. At the end of his term as Governor, President Adams nominated him to once again serve on the Supreme Court. But even though he was quickly confirmed by the Senate, he declined due to health reasons
5. A defender of States rights and Slavery, who wrote the "Dred Scott Decision?"

Answer: Roger Taney

Taney first gained notoriety in 1833, when President Jackson appointed him Secretary of the Treasury and had him withdraw the federal government's deposits from the Bank of the United States. The Senate responded by rejecting his nomination, the first time they had ever rejected a cabinet nomination. By 1836 the makeup of the Senate had changed enough to allow Taney to be appointed as the 5th Chief Justice.

In his court's most famous, or actually infamous, decision, Taney wrote the decision that fundamentally changed the balance of legal power to the Slaveholders.

He wrote that no Negroes could ever become citizens of the United States, because they were, "beings of an inferior order," and were not granted rights in the Constitution. He died during the final months of the Civil War, on the same day (October 12th) that his home state of Maryland abolished slavery.
6. These two served as Chief Justice for terms of 4 and 21 months respectively.

Answer: John Rutledge and Oliver Ellsworth

John Rutledge was so outspoken against Jay's Treaty with England, that the Senate rejected his appointment. (It is also said that he had some bouts with mental illness.) Oliver Ellsworth served on the Committee of Five that prepared the first draft of the Constitution, and looked to be a solid choice for Chief Justice after the Senate refused to confirm Rutledge. Ellsworth served for 21 months, and then unexpectedly retired from public life and returned to Connecticut.
7. Who was the first Chief Justice to preside over an impeachment of a US President?

Answer: Salmon Chase

Bill Clinton was not the first President to be impeached. That honor lies with Andrew Johnson in 1868. Chase, who was appointed Chief Justice by Lincoln in 1864, made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1872. He died in 1873, so he wouldn't have been President long.
8. His nomination was unique, not for any color reason, but because he was a Democrat, who was raised from Associate Justice to Chief Justice by a Republican President.

Answer: Edward Douglas White

White served as a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and was appointed Associate Supreme Court Justice in 1894. In 1910, following the death of Chief Justice Fuller, President Taft, a Republican, appointed White, a Democrat, to be Chief Justice.

Some people feel that Taft chose White because he hoped that White, who was 65 at the time, would die soon, opening the opportunity for Taft to hold the office...
9. Which Chief Justice is the only person to serve in the highest office in both the Executive and Judicial Branch of the Federal Government?

Answer: William Howard Taft

...Which is exactly what happened. Taft was hand-picked by Teddy Roosevelt to be his successor as President in 1908. He only served one term, being defeated by Woodrow Wilson in 1912. President Warren G. Harding nominated Taft to be Chief Justice, the only office in the Government that he ever really aspired to, in 1921.

When he died in 1930 he became the first President to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
10. Which Chief Justice's court established the doctrine of Judicial Review with Marbury v. Madison?

Answer: John Marshall

John Marshall greatly shaped the development of the American political system in his 34 years as Chief Justice. Arguably his most important contribution was the idea that federal law trumped state law. Marbury v. Madison - established Judicial Review. McCulloch v. Maryland - forbids states from taxing federal institutions. Cohens v. Virginia - allows the federal judiciary to hear appeals of decisions of state courts.
11. Who was known as the "Superchief," not as the "Commissioner," and his court ruled against the segregation of schools in Brown v. The Board of Education?

Answer: Earl Warren

Warren was on the ticket with Thomas Dewey as Vice-President in the election of 1948, but they were defeated by Truman and Barkley. President Eisenhower appointed Warren to the Chief Justice position in 1953. When Warren turned out to be more liberal than expected, Eisenhower commented that nominating Warren "was the biggest damned fool mistake I've ever made in my life". Against his better judgment, Warren agreed to head the commission investigating the assassination of JFK in 1963.
12. He ignored the 14th Amendment and wrote the decision that heavy-handedly struck down the Enforcement Act, allowing groups like the KKK to continue the Jim Crow era in the South.

Answer: Morrison Waite

The Enforcement Act, which made it illegal to interfere with the constitutional rights of another, was aimed at stopping the Ku Klux Klan's terror in the South. Waite argued that is was the responsibility of the States to protect the rights of the people, not the federal government.

The other justices on the court called Waite "an experiment no President has a right to make with our court".
13. As Chief Justice, who sided with the majority in the still controversial Roe v. Wade case?

Answer: Warren Earl Burger

US News and World Report printed a speech by Burger that greatly impressed President Nixon. Burger's speeches at this time were very critical of then Chief Justice Earl Warren, who in turn swore in Burger as Chief Justice in 1969. The most controversial ruling during his term was Roe v. Wade, which ruled that laws prohibiting abortion were unconstitutional.

He also ruled against Nixon in his bid to keep memos and tapes relating to the Watergate scandal private.
14. Before becoming Chief Justice, one was narrowly defeated by Wilson in the 1916 Presidential Election, and the other served as Attorney General, where he appointed J. Edgar Hoover to head the Bureau of Investigation.

Answer: Charles Hughes and Harlan Stone

Hughes was an Associate Justice before he ran against Wilson in 1916. As Chief Justice he led the fight against FDR's court packing scheme. Interestingly, while Hughes was serving as Chief Justice, his son had been appointed Solicitor General, and argued cases before his father. Harlan Stone was appointed Associate Justice by President Coolidge, who he had served as Attorney General under as well.

In 1941 he was elevated to Chief Justice by FDR.
15. Who added four Gold Stripes to his robe after being inspired by the Lord Chancellor's costume in Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe?

Answer: William Rehnquist

His name was originally William Doanld Rehnquist, but he changed his middle name to Hubbs, his grandmother's maiden name, during high school. Rehnquist was mentioned for years as a possibility for the source known as Deep Throat, but Bob Woodward's admission in 2005 that W. Mark Felt was Deep Throat ended these speculations.

In 1995 he added four gold stripes to his robe after watching a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, and being inspired by the costume of the Lord Chancellor. In 2004 it was revealed that Rehquist was suffering from thyroid cancer, which led to his death in 2005.
Source: Author arsenalvcc

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