The overriding theme of the book is that the Court both reflects the development of the society it serves and helps to move that society in the direction of the dominant jurisprudence of the day. The book is organized chronologically, focusing on the Court under the different Chief Justices. In addition, four chapters examine watershed cases -- Dred Scott v. Sandford, Lochner v. New York, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade -- that illustrate how the Court operates and the impact of major decisions upon American society and on the Court itself. Chapter references and 1 appendix