This authoritative introduction to the nation's highest judicial body describes the Court's personalities and workings, deliving deeply to explain the actions of the Court and the behavior of justices. Through Baum's straightforward yet lively prose, students begin to understand the Court's complexity and reach. In this eighth complexity and reach. In this eighth edition, Baum gives careful consideration to recent decisions of import, including the implications of Bush v. Gore, the controversy surrounding the use of affirmative action in college admissions, and the growing set of decision that limit powers of the federal government.