Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Magill's Choice: U.S. Supreme Court. Edited by Thomas Tandy Lewis. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, Inc., 2007. 3 vols. 1528 p. $207.00. ISBN 978-1-58765-363-6.

Information on justices to the definition of law to assigning justice as determined by Supreme Court decisions can be found in this guide for students and teachers. The 395 topics are covered in individual essays ranging in length from 250 to 3,000 words. Each essay begins with different facts depending upon the topic. For cases, the citation, date, issue and significance are given. For a single subject such as abortion, it contains a description and significance. For the justices themselves, it offers an identification, who the person was nominated by, birth and death dates and significance. Some articles have inset boxes such as the one with a list of nominations rejected by the Senate. Each of the individual signed articles has "see also" references and most have "Further Reading." Black and white photographs and other illustrations such as political cartoons or outline maps are found in the text. Appendixes include a 13-page timeline beginning with the 1789 judiciary act creating the federal court system and ending with the 2006 retirement of Justice O'Connor and the confirmation of Judge Alito. A 12-page glossary is followed by an 18-page bibliography with brief annotations; an alphabetical list of the Supreme Court Justices; a chart of justices ranked by years of service; a listing of "Notable Supreme Court Rulings;" and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The "Categorized List of Entries" includes another alphabetical listing of the judges, and two indexes, court case index and subject index. This is a one-stop shop for information about this third arm of the Federal government.