From School Library Journal Grade 8 Up This is an outstanding institutional history of the nation's ultimate court of justice， but one that has little visual appeal. Its special strength is in the clear presentation of the social and political forces (and to a lesser extent the personalities) that have defined the Court's role and influenced its decisions. The chronological organization allows readers to make clear connections between stages in the Court's development and the events that shaped it. The effects of Court decisions become most clear when the beneficiaries are identified， e.g.， in 1870 when the Court ruled against paper money as legal tender， the enraged railroad interests got President Grant to appoint friendlier justices to the Court， which then reversed itself. Coverage of the anti-New Deal rulings and their aftermath is particularly insightful. Weiss also discusses both sides of current issues like Reagan's opportunity to set the Court's direction for many years to come， and presents several proposals for reform. Although Rehnquist's appointment to Chief Justice is mentioned， there is little other information about him in the book. Some of the older books on the Court do a better job of identifying legal issues. For example， David Forte's The Supreme Court (Watts， 1979; o.p.) is organized around legal principles rather than history， and the real old standard， Gerald Johnson's The Supreme Court (Morrow， 1962; o.p.) divides Court activity into decisions either of principle or of policy. Legal minds may prefer these approaches， but most young adults will find Weiss' historical development more congenial. Her writing style is also clear and accessible: sentences are not too long， passive constructions are kept to a minimum， and vocabulary is reasonable. Jonathan R. Betz-Zall， Sno-Isle Regional Library System， Marysville， Wash.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information， Inc. Card catalog description Uses examples from cases to present a history of the Supreme Court and considers the future of the Court.