Walker (political science, Emory U.) examines the case of Atkins v. Virginia from Daryl Atkins' participation in the murder of Eric Nesbitt through to the 2002 Supreme Court ruling that executing mentally retarded individuals such as Atkins violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishments." He explores the case in order to give the reader an understanding of: the specific issues involved in the case and the reasoning behind the Supreme Court decision; the American judicial process and the criminal justice system through the window of the evolution of the case; the constitutional rights of the criminally accused, particularly with regard to the Eight Amendment and capital punishment; and the very real human ramifications of the above topics. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)