"The United States Supreme Court showcases the Court's legal triumphs and disasters, its internal workings, and its impact on American politics, society, and culture. The book also brings to light the uneasy influence of popular culture and electoral politics on the Court. Organized chronologically by the terms of each chief justice, here are fresh insights into the Court's key moments and cases, from the Dred Scott decision to Brown v. Board of Education, from the Lochner era to the Warren Court, from Roe v. Wade to Bush v. Gore. Christopher Tomlins is a senior research fellow at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago."--BOOK JACKET.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The establishment of the federal court system (1787-1791) / Wythe W. Holt, Jr. 2. The earliest years (1790-1801) : laying foundations / Maeva Marcus 3. The Marshall court (1801-1835) : law, politics, and the emergence of the federal judiciary / Charles F. Hobson 4. The Taney court (1836-1864) : the jurisprudence of slavery and the crisis of the Union / Paul Finkelman 5. The Chase court (1864-1873) : cautious reconstruction / Michael Vorenberg 6. The Waite court (1874-1888) : the collapse of reconstruction and the transition to conservative constitutionalism / Howard Gillman 7. The Fuller court (1888-1910 ) : property and liberty / Linda Przybyszewski 8. The White court (1910-1921) : a progressive court? / William E. Forbath 9. The Taft court (1921-1930) : groping for modernity / Melvin I. Urofsky 10. The Hughes court (1930-1941) : evolution and revolution / William G. Ross 11. The Stone and Vinson courts (1941-1953) : transition and transformation / William M. Wiecek

12. The Warren court (1954-1968) : procedural liberalism and personal freedom / Mark Tushnet 13. The Burger court (1969-1986) : once more in transition / Keith E. Whittington 14. The Rehnquist court (1986- ) : radical revision of American constitutional law / Stephen E. Gottlieb 15. First appearances : the material setting and culture of the early Supreme Court / Katherine Fischer Taylor 16. Advocacy before the Supreme Court : 1791 to the present / David C. Frederick 17. The Supreme Court and popular culture : image and projection / Norman L. Rosenberg 18. The Supreme Court and election returns / Lucas A. (Scot) Powe, Jr. App. A. Supreme Court personnel : 1789 to the present App. B. Supreme Court justices, 1789-2004 : biographical information App. C. The Supreme Court's budget : 1790 to the present.