Covering some 380 Supreme Court cases, Menez (political science, Ball State U.) and Vile (political science, Middle Tennessee State U.) provide brief explanations of the facts and questions of the case and offer summaries of the Court's reasoning in the particular case. The cases are grouped thematically, covering such broad topics as the powers of the various branches of government, the institutions of U.S. federalism, property rights, voting rights, and other rights enumerated by the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)