JD Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield JD facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which intentional tort consists of an intentional act causing reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact? → Assault
2. Mutual mistake in contract law allows rescission when both parties were mistaken about what? → A basic assumption on which the contract was made
3. Under the spousal testimonial privilege in federal courts, who holds the privilege? → The testifying spouse only
4. Which constitutional provision is the primary basis for Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce? → Commerce Clause
5. Which doctrine allows federal courts to avoid deciding constitutional questions when a case can be resolved on other grounds? → Constitutional avoidance canon
6. Under FRCP Rule 23, a class action may be certified only if which requirement is NOT among the Rule 23(a) prerequisites? → Predominance
7. Under FRE 901, authentication of evidence requires: → Evidence sufficient to support a finding that the item is what the proponent claims
8. What is 'consideration' in contract law? → A bargained-for exchange involving a legal benefit or detriment
9. Which legal theory allows a plaintiff to recover in tort even when they cannot identify which of multiple defendants caused their specific injury? → Market share liability
10. Under the 'rescue doctrine,' a rescuer injured while attempting to save another from defendant's negligence can recover because: → Rescue is a foreseeable response to negligence, making the rescuer a foreseeable plaintiff
11. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is composed of which three components? → MBE, MEE, and MPT
12. The marital communications privilege protects: → Confidential communications made during a valid marriage
13. Clinical legal education in a JD program primarily serves to: → Provide students with supervised real-world legal practice experience
14. Which element distinguishes battery from assault? → Actual harmful or offensive contact
15. Punitive damages in tort cases are awarded to: → Punish defendants for malicious or outrageous conduct and deter similar behavior
16. The 'exclusionary rule' provides that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment is: → Excluded from use at trial
17. Which of the following is NOT an exception to the hearsay rule under FRE 803? → Prior inconsistent statement of a witness
18. In Criminal Law, the term 'mens rea' refers to: → The guilty mind or mental state required for criminal liability
19. Which of the following best illustrates a 'straw man' fallacy in legal argument? → Misrepresenting the opposing party's argument so it is easier to refute
20. The 'reasonable person' standard in negligence law asks whether the defendant acted as: → A person of ordinary prudence under the same or similar circumstances
21. In contract law, an offer is generally terminated by lapse of time. If no time is specified, the offer lapses after a: → Reasonable time based on the circumstances
22. Under FRE 602, a witness may testify only if: → The witness has personal knowledge of the matter
23. Under Article 2 of the UCC, the 'battle of the forms' provision governs the situation where: → Two parties exchange purchase orders with differing terms
24. The best evidence rule (FRE 1002) requires that to prove the content of a writing, recording, or photograph, a party must produce: → The original document or an admissible duplicate
25. In federal court, a jury verdict must be set aside under FRCP Rule 50 if: → No reasonable jury could have found for the non-moving party on the evidence presented
26. Which constitutional amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States? → Thirteenth Amendment
27. Which element is NOT required to establish a negligence claim? → Intent to cause harm
28. Which of the following best describes the purpose of a 1L Moot Court exercise in a JD program? → Simulating appellate oral argument before a panel of judges
29. Which constitutional provision prohibits states from abridging the privileges or immunities of U.S. citizens? → Fourteenth Amendment
30. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches at what stage of a criminal proceeding? → At the initiation of formal adversarial proceedings