| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Members of this organization criticized the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers by noting how she did not match its "credentials" due to ties with the ABA. Amanda Hollis-Brusky argued that this organization "evolved into the de facto gatekeeper for right- of-center lawyers aspiring to government jobs." Antonin Scalia once served as a faculty advisor to this organization, which was founded by students at top law schools in 1982. For ten points, name this conservative legal organization named for a set of 1780s "papers." | Federalist Society (accept Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies) |
| This man served for three years under Howard Dean as the finance chair for the Democratic National Committee. In the 1990s, this man was the head of the Frankfurt office for Goldman Sachs and succeeded William Timken as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. As an April Fools' Day joke, this politician tweeted that he had signed an executive order designating "the middle finger'' as his state's bird. In a much closer result than predicted, this man won re-election in 2021 after defeating Jack Ciattarelli. For ten points, name this successor of Chris Christie as governor of New Jersey. | Phil Murphy (or Philip Dunton Murphy) |
| In Federalist No. 44, James Madison defended this clause by stating that if it were not in effect, "it would have seen a monster, in which the head was under the direction of the members." This clause was first applied in Ware v. Hylton, which weakened a state law allowing debtors to British creditors to discharge their debts. Some jurists believe this clause in Article VI [[SIX]] nullifies federal law that is in conflict with the Constitution. For ten points, name this clause, which states that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the "Law of the Land." | Supremacy Clause (accept Article VI, Clause 2 before mentioned) |
| These things are priced by assuming that the log return is a random walk with constant drift, according to the Black–Scholes model. A "condor," which consists of four of these types of contracts, is more profitable at a wider range of underlying values than a "butterfly." These contracts may be traded between private parties in "over-the-counter" transactions. Holders have the right to buy at a specified price in their "call" variety, in contrast to their "put" variety. For ten points, name these contracts which offer the buyer the right to buy or sell an underlying asset. | Options (accept Stock Options; accept Derivatives before "Condor" and prompt after) |
| At the request of the secretary of this agency, Robert Petzel resigned after the deaths of 40 people at a Phoenix facility. Paul Rieckhoff stated that "Superman can't do this job" after the appointment of Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald as this agency's secretary. In May 2014, Congress grilled then-secretary Eric Shinseki for long wait times at facilities run by this agency. For ten points, name this agency run by Denis McDonough that provides healthcare services to those who served in the military. | Department of Veterans Affairs (accept VA) |
| A lecture by a prominent thinker of this school, John Mearsheimer, argues that the West bears the primary responsibility for the crisis in Ukraine as the result of NATO expansion. The central proposition of this school of thought may have originated with Machiavelli and posits that international relations are a struggle for power in an "anarchic" system without supranational authority. For ten points, name this general school of international relations theory suggesting that states act in their own rational self-interest. | Realism (accept Realpolitik, though technically different) |
| Due to being infected with COVID-19, this country's president had to swear in a new prime minister while sitting inside a transparent cube. In 2018, this country's capital and largest city elected a mayor from this nation's Pirate Party. The first president of this country led the Civic Forum party, and, in 2013, Miloš [[mi-LOSH]] Zeman became this nation's first directly-elected president. For ten points, name this Central European country where Petr Fiala replaced Andrej [[ON-dray]] Babiš [BAB-biss]] in November, 2021. | Czech Republic (or Czechia; or Česká republika; do not accept or prompt on Czechoslovakia.) |
| The Burke–Wadsworth Act modified criteria launched by this agency, prompting some people to protest by writing the phrase "Over the hill in October." The Berry Plan amended a system created by this agency regarding medical students, and Don Benton was appointed by Donald Trump to lead this agency, which requires registration for those filling out FAFSA or receiving Pell Grants. Conscientious objectors avoid a system created by this agency on the basis of freedom of religion or thought. For ten points, name this agency that maintains information on people subject to conscription into the U.S. military. | Selective Service System (accept SSS) |
| The opinion in this case cited Jacobson v. Massachusetts as precedent for its decision. The case Skinner v. Oklahoma partially invalidated this case as it applies to criminals. Pierce Butler did not write an opinion for this case despite being its only dissenter, although Oliver Wendell Holmes famously wrote in his ruling on this case that “three generations of imbeciles are enough.” For ten points, name this often-derided 1927 Supreme Court case ruling that forcing those with intellectual disabilities to undergo sterilization was constitutional. | Buck v. Bell (or Carrie Buck v. John Hendren Bell, Superintendent of State Colony for Epileptics and Feeble Minded) |
| Dornbusch, Fischer, and Samuelson expanded this economist's "two goods" model to apply to a "continuum of goods." According to one theory developed by this man, the return from the most productive use of a land site, relative to the return from marginal land for the same purpose, equals rent. The Heckscher–Ohlin model is often contrasted with this man's "classic" model of international trade, which he illustrated using Portuguese wine and English cloth. For ten points, name this economist who formulated the theory of comparative advantage and created the Iron Law of Rent. | David Ricardo |
| One politician with this surname founded the Jeanne Committees. After the first round of a 2022 election, a politician with this surname was endorsed by Reconquête leader, Éric Zemmour. When facing one politician with this last name in a runoff, Jacques Chirac said, "Vote for the crook, not the Fascist," and one party led by another member of this family changed its name from the National Front to the National Rally in 2018. Shared by a father-daughter pair, for ten points, what name is shared by far-right French presidential candidates, Jean-Marie and Marine? | Le Pen (accept Jean-Marie Le Pen; accept Marine Le Pen) |
| Josh Adams and Billy Boozer resigned as this company’s Chiefs of Technology and Product Development soon after its launch. The British solar power company, Trailar, is considering legal action against this company after noticing similarities between their logos. The CEO of this company was a former Republican congressman who represented California’s 22nd district. Headed by Devin Nunes, this is, for ten points, what social media company that was launched by Donald Trump after he was banned from Twitter? | Truth Social |
| The ruling in this case rejected the “equal burden” argument from the earlier case Pace v. Alabama. Prior to this case, county judge Leon M. Bazile ruled that “The fact that [God] separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” The majority opinion in this case was written by Earl Warren and held that the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 violated the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause. For ten points, name this 1967 Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage. | Loving v. Virginia (or Richard Perry Loving, Mildred Jeter Loving v. Virginia) |
| This politician succeeded Robert Duffy as lieutenant governor after defeating Timothy Wu in the 2018 state election. The lieutenant governor this politician appointed in September 2021, Brian Benjamin, resigned from the position in April 2022 after being arrested on charges of bribery and wire fraud. This politician said, “I think it’s very clear that the governor and I have not been close” upon succeeding the former holder of her position. For ten points, name this politician who succeeded Andrew Cuomo as the Governor of New York. | Kathy Hochul (or Kathleen Courtney Hochul) |
| This group, originating in 1928, remained on the fringes of Middle Eastern politics until the outbreak of the Six-Day War in 1967. One prominent member of this group was Sayyid Qutb, who served as editor of its weekly magazine and later its head of propaganda before being jailed and executed for involvement in a plot to assassinate Gamal Abdel Nasser. In 2012, Muhammad Morsi, a candidate representing this organization, was elected president of Egypt, though he was overthrown by the military a year later. For ten points, name this transnational Sunni group founded by Hassan al-Banna. | Muslim Brotherhood (or al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn; accept Society of the Muslim Brothers; or Jama'at al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) |
| A 2008 iteration of this event sometimes named for "a Tsunami" was one of the least covered iterations due to it coinciding with a string of tornados in the Southern U.S. The prominence of this event began increasing in 1984 due to a process called “frontloading.” The occurrence of this day in 2016 was referred to as the “SEC Primary” because of its contests in states such as Alabama and Tennessee. For ten points, name this moniker for the most important day of contests in the early period of an American presidential primary. | Super Tuesday (prompt on "Primary" before "SEC") |
| While imprisoned under this law, Vermont Representative Matthew Lyon won reelection to Congress. This law might have been drafted to penalize Benjamin Franklin Bache, who ran the Philadelphia Aurora. James Callender was sentenced to nine months in jail for violating this law by calling one man a "repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, and an unprincipled oppressor." For ten points, name this 1798 law, passed during the John Adams administration alongside an "Alien" Act. | Sedition Act of 1798 (accept Alien and Sedition Acts) |
| This amendment sought to make a change to a policy inspired by Article 1, Section 2, Clause 4 of the Constitution. Procedures for dealing with deadlock within the Electoral College were laid out in this amendment, which was passed in 1933 and changed one date from March 4th to January 20th. That change in date of inauguration was aimed to reduce the lame duck period. For ten points, name this amendment passed directly after the amendment giving women the right to vote. | Twentieth Amendment (or Amendment Twenty; accept Amendment XX) |
| One brutalist embassy in this city's Vedado district was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz and opened in 1953. Jimmy Carter signed the Interests Sections Agreement to allow the U.S. to resume use of that building in this city, so long as the U.S. flag was not flown. Susan Collins sponsored a 2021 appropriations bill to aid victims in this city, and Global Affairs Canada ended family postings to this city in 2018. For ten points, name this city whose U.S. Embassy officially reopened in 2015, and where multiple diplomats have purportedly experienced a namesake syndrome. | Havana (or La Habana; accept Havana Syndrome) |
| While serving in the Cabinet, this person affirmed civilian control of the military by sacking General Michael Dugan. Like his counsel David Addington, this person embraced the “unitary executive” theory and limits on other branches’ ability to curtail the powers of the president. Donald Rumsfeld preceded this person as Gerald Ford’s chief of staff. While in one office, this man accidentally shot Harry Whittington in a hunting accident. For ten points, name this Republican vice president under George W. Bush. | Dick Cheney (Richard Bruce Cheney) |
| Mike Gatto complained that this document contained “arcane rules” about rock fishing because of the ease of making changes to it. In 1879, this document replaced a previous document with the same function that was first produced in 1849, and was altered to include a ban on same-sex marriage after the passage of Proposition 8. For ten points, identify this founding document that was originally signed by representatives of the districts of Sonoma, Monterey, and Los Angeles. | California Constitution (or Constitution of California) |
| In 2019, this country's president closed the Jaslyk Prison, which held thousands who had been arrested for 1999 bombings in this country's capital. Massive winter 2020 demonstrations in this country were sparked by energy and fuel shortages in a region governed from Nukus. In late 2020, people demanding a non-authoritarian government in this country took to the streets in Andijan, which earlier experienced unrest in 2005. In 2021, Shavkat Mirziyoyev was reelected president of, for ten points, what country, which has countered recent protests in Tashkent? | Republic of Uzbekistan (or O'zbekiston Respublikasi) |
| Vin Weber said of this politician, "If he runs for re-election in a couple years, I got a good slogan for him: 'He was right about Russia.'" Tim Swain criticized Donald Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz, calling the former cardiologist “[this politician] 2.0.” Like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, this Republican politician voted to confirm the first African-American woman on the Supreme Court. For ten points, name this former Governor of Massachusetts and current senator from Utah who ran as the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election. | Mitt Romney (Willard Mitt Romney) |
| A two-time holder of this position and his brother created his state's namesake Progressive Party, whose members included Merlin Hull and Bernard Gehrmann. In a negative campaign for this office in 2002, incumbent Scott McCallum lost to Jim Doyle. Before becoming George W. Bush's secretary of Health and Human Services, a four-time holder of this position created the BadgerCare program and attempted to abrogate the rights of the Ojibwe north of Green Bay. For ten points, name this position held by Philip La Follette, Tommy Thompson, and, more recently, Scott Walker. | Governor of Wisconsin (both underlined portions required) |
| A moot Supreme Court case concerning this policy centered on Jewish student Marco DeFunis, who sued Charles E. Odegaard. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of a 1978 court case about this policy that described a "compelling government interest" for carrying it out. A system that gave certain people twenty extra "points" in accordance with this policy was struck down in the case Gratz v. Bollinger. Former Marine officer Allan P. Bakke challenged the constitutionality of, for ten points, what policy, which tries to remedy discrimination against underrepresented groups in admissions? | Affirmative Action (accept Positive Discrimination) |
| In March 2022, this U.S. politician created controversy by calling for "somebody in Russia to take [Putin] out." This man, along with senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, formed "the three amigos," an informal group of legislators known for their hawkish foreign policy in the years following 9/11. From 2019 to 2021, this man served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, leading the confirmation hearing of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. For ten points, name this senior U.S. senator from South Carolina. | Lindsey Graham (or Lindsey Olin Graham) |
| This country's 128-member Senate includes three members for each of its 31 states and its Federal District. Those members, 32 of which are elected proportionally, primarily represent the Morena party in what has been a setback for the once-dominant PRI. This country, in a tradition dating back to its 1910s Revolution, imposes a single six-year term on its President. For ten points, name this country governed by a president often nicknamed AMLO and once home to such revolutionaries as Benito Juarez and Pancho Villa. | Mexico (accept United Mexican States or Estados Unidos Mexicanos) |
| The United Nations established the UNCCD in 1994 to deal with the creation of these locations through a process of degradation. China has tested anti-ship ballistic missiles against replicas of American warships in one of these places in Xinjiang [[SHIN-JANG]] called the Taklamakan. Encroachment from these types of locations has resulted in the loss of more than 40% of arable land in the United Arab Emirates since 2002. For ten points, name this type of arid ecosystem in which Morocco has fought the Polisario Front over control of Western Sahara. | Deserts (accept Taklamakan Desert; accept Sahara Desert) |
| In Rucho v. Common Cause, the Supreme Court determined that this practice was nonjusticiable. This practice enabled David Trone's victory in Maryland's 6th district, which "cracks" the votes of conservative rural counties. This practice has recently created lopsided Republican majorities in Wisconsin, Ohio, and North Carolina, and has created such contorted districts as Illinois' 4th. For ten points, name this practice of drawing legislative districts to the benefit of one party, named for Massachusetts Governor Elbridge. | Gerrymandering (prompt on "Redistricting" or "Elbridge Gerry" or "Gerry" alone) |
| An inscription on the Hungarian monument to this "object" reads, "Unity in unavoidable matters - freedom in doubtful matters - love in all things." A cycling route which spans the former length of this boundary runs for 4,200 miles from Finland to Greece. The phrase commonly used to describe this "object" was first applied to Soviet Russia by Vasily Rozanov, but its use became much more widespread following a 1946 speech by Winston Churchill. For ten points, name this barrier which both physically and metaphorically separated the USSR and its satellite states from Western Europe. | Iron Curtain |
| One of these types of laws was the subject of the "stream of commerce" argument, which was established in a decision in Swift & Co. v. United States. In a 1978 book titled for this type of law's Paradox, Robert Bork argued that their intent was to promote welfare. The Celler–Kefauver Act strengthened a law of this type, which outlawed interlocking directorates and price discrimination, and another act of this type allowed Theodore Roosevelt to sue the Northern Securities Company. For ten points, name this type of law that includes an 1890 act sponsored by John Sherman. | Antitrust Law (accept Sherman Antitrust Act; accept The Antitrust Paradox; accept Clayton Antitrust Act) |
| This country's house of representatives is known locally as the Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber. Thanks to proportional representation, this country contains many small parties, such as the Party for the Animals and 50+. One of this country's parties is the Reformed Political Party, which represents this country's Calvinist Church. Political parties in this country compete in water board elections to prevent its low-lying polders from flooding. For ten points, identify this country where King Willem-Alexander lives in a palace in The Hague. | Kingdom of the Netherlands (accept Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; prompt on "Holland") |
| In order to end an instance of this practice, sixteen people must sign a petition to "invoke" a certain countermeasure. The Byrd Rule was introduced in order to get around a specific limitation on this practice in the context of budget reconciliation. The idea of a "minority bill of rights" was proposed partly in response to this practice, which cloture can bring an end to if three-fifths or 60 members of a certain body agree to it. Referred to as "the Soul of the Senate," this is, for ten points, what practice by which U.S. senators can attempt to delay the passage of a bill? | Filibuster (accept Filibustering) |
| A podcast about the central figure's Instagram sparked this movement after an anonymous source claiming to be a paralegal left a voicemail that said the hosts were “onto something.” The Los Angeles branch of this movement opposed a bill introduced by Representatives Charlie Crist and Nancy Mace called the Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation Act. That bill inspired by this movement would allow a person to petition their judge-appointed guardian to sever an arrangement known as a conservatorship. For ten points, name this movement that sought to legally liberate a famous popstar. | Free Britney Movement (or #FreeBritney Movement) |
| Hurricane Katrina damaged sections of this agency's Michoud Assembly Facility, which halted production of the SLS during COVID-19. Projects including IRIS and SOFIA have been developed primarily at this agency's Ames Research Center. Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan performed calculations for a 1958-1963 project launched by this agency. After serving nearly twenty years as senator from Florida, Bill Nelson became this agency's administrator in 2021. For ten points, name this agency that has launched Projects Gemini and Apollo. | NASA (accept National Aeronautics and Space Administration) |
| The CEO of this company denied that labor unions would be beneficial to employees as the company’s benefits include access to its Career Choice Program and “twenty weeks of paid parental leave.” This company is currently charging its sellers a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge. Warehouse workers in Staten Island successfully established this company’s first labor union a year after warehouse workers in Alabama voted against unionizing in April 2021. Andy Jassy is the CEO of, for ten points, what company founded by Jeff Bezos? | Amazon (or Amazon.com, Inc.) |