BLAW 3310 Exam 1-Miller Test
Questions with Actual Detailed
Answers 2025-2026 Updated.
Law - Answer enforceable rules of conduct set forth by a government to be followed by the
citizens of the society
Stability - Answer the legal system helps define acceptable behavior. The law limits activities
that hurt the public interest. The law can also require or encourage business practices that
further social or political goals
Predictability - Answer law provides predictability and uniformity
Social Change - Answer the legal system provides a way to bring about changes in
"acceptable" behavior
-Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): state racial segregation for public facilities legal under "separate buy
equal"
-Brown v. Board of Education (1954): state laws establishing racial segregation in public school is
unconstitutional
Conflict Resolution - Answer a critical function of the law is dispute resolution
-Court system (formal process)
Constitution - Answer the fundamental law of a nation; written document (not always
written) establishing the powers of government and its basic structure
U.S. Constitution - Answer sets framework, powers and limits of federal government (3
branches of government)
Legislative Branch - Answer Congress (House and Senate); makes the laws
Executive Branch - Answer President and his cabinet; implements the laws (executive orders)
, Administrative Agencies - Answer a governmental bureau established by Congress (or the
President) to execute certain functions of Congress
Common Law - Answer law made and applied by judges as they resolve disputes among
private parties; foundation of agency (employment), contact, property, and tort law
Legal Precedent - Answer to settle disputes that are similar to past disputes, judges look for
guidance by studying decisions form earlier recorded cases
Stare Decisis - Answer "to stand on decided cases"; the use of precedent by courts
Criminal Law - Answer concern legal wrongs or crimes committed against the state (Felony
or Misdemeanor)
Felony - Answer serious class crime punishable by imprisonment of more than a year
Misdemeanor - Answer lesser class crime punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment of less
than a year (not in state or federal penitentiaries)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - Answer in criminal law, the general rule that for a judge to find
a defendant guilty, there can be no significant doubt that the defendant violated a criminal
statute (higher standard of proof); jail time
Civil Law - Answer concerns the rights and responsibilities that exist among members of
society or between individuals and the government in non-criminal matters
Preponderance of the Evidence - Answer in civil trials, the burden of persuasion to win a
verdict requires that the plaintiff prove its claim by having the majority (51%) or bulk of the
evidence on its side (lesser burden of proof); monetary fines
OJ Simpson Murder Case - Answer example of beyond a reasonable doubt (not guilty) and
preponderance of the evidence (guilty)
Federal Judges - Answer nominated by the President and confirmed by a majority vote in the
Questions with Actual Detailed
Answers 2025-2026 Updated.
Law - Answer enforceable rules of conduct set forth by a government to be followed by the
citizens of the society
Stability - Answer the legal system helps define acceptable behavior. The law limits activities
that hurt the public interest. The law can also require or encourage business practices that
further social or political goals
Predictability - Answer law provides predictability and uniformity
Social Change - Answer the legal system provides a way to bring about changes in
"acceptable" behavior
-Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): state racial segregation for public facilities legal under "separate buy
equal"
-Brown v. Board of Education (1954): state laws establishing racial segregation in public school is
unconstitutional
Conflict Resolution - Answer a critical function of the law is dispute resolution
-Court system (formal process)
Constitution - Answer the fundamental law of a nation; written document (not always
written) establishing the powers of government and its basic structure
U.S. Constitution - Answer sets framework, powers and limits of federal government (3
branches of government)
Legislative Branch - Answer Congress (House and Senate); makes the laws
Executive Branch - Answer President and his cabinet; implements the laws (executive orders)
, Administrative Agencies - Answer a governmental bureau established by Congress (or the
President) to execute certain functions of Congress
Common Law - Answer law made and applied by judges as they resolve disputes among
private parties; foundation of agency (employment), contact, property, and tort law
Legal Precedent - Answer to settle disputes that are similar to past disputes, judges look for
guidance by studying decisions form earlier recorded cases
Stare Decisis - Answer "to stand on decided cases"; the use of precedent by courts
Criminal Law - Answer concern legal wrongs or crimes committed against the state (Felony
or Misdemeanor)
Felony - Answer serious class crime punishable by imprisonment of more than a year
Misdemeanor - Answer lesser class crime punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment of less
than a year (not in state or federal penitentiaries)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - Answer in criminal law, the general rule that for a judge to find
a defendant guilty, there can be no significant doubt that the defendant violated a criminal
statute (higher standard of proof); jail time
Civil Law - Answer concerns the rights and responsibilities that exist among members of
society or between individuals and the government in non-criminal matters
Preponderance of the Evidence - Answer in civil trials, the burden of persuasion to win a
verdict requires that the plaintiff prove its claim by having the majority (51%) or bulk of the
evidence on its side (lesser burden of proof); monetary fines
OJ Simpson Murder Case - Answer example of beyond a reasonable doubt (not guilty) and
preponderance of the evidence (guilty)
Federal Judges - Answer nominated by the President and confirmed by a majority vote in the
