From Booklist
Like Salem's Encyclopedia of American Government (1998), this set is aimed at readers from middle-school age up. The 1,075 topical essays are clearly and succinctly written, with a glossary included for persons unfamiliar with legal terminology. Essays are devoted to important Supreme Court decisions (just over half the essays are on specific cases); historical overviews of how the Court has treated important issues such as civil rights, freedom of speech, and voting rights; areas of law (e.g., administrative, environmental, immigration); specific historical events and eras, including the Civil War, cold war, and World War II; court administration and structure; legal terms (e.g., Advisory opinions, Standing); judicial interpretation of state and federal laws; and biographies of Supreme Court justices, failed nominees, and other persons integral to the Court's operation.
All entries are signed and follow a standard format, beginning with easy-to-read header information that identifies the person, case, event, or topic and succinctly explains its significance. This is followed by a discussion of the subject and three to ten cross-references to related articles. Entries range in length from 250 to 3,000 words; essays of 1,000 or more words include brief lists of recommended readings, while essays of 2,000 or more words have annotated discussions of these readings. Pictures accompany most of the biographical articles, and illustrations, maps, and charts are used to good effect throughout the set to provide context and convey information. The last volume contains a list of justices, summaries of their careers, a time line of events relating to the history of the Court, and a table of important federal statutes. A glossary, annotated bibliography, categorized list of entries, case index, and general index complete the set.
The editors have done an admirable job of keeping the essays, most of which were written by academics, accessible to a general audience and of assigning see also references comprehensively and consistently. Minor complaints include the absence of a comprehensive table of contents at the beginning of the first volume and the placement of the categorized list of entries in an appendix instead of at the beginning of the set. Although it will not challenge the place of the classic and well-priced ($60) Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (1992) on academic and public library reference shelves, this encyclopedia is appropriate for school, public, and undergraduate libraries that can afford its rather expensive price. RBB
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