This reference for the general reader presents the text of 11 major United States Supreme Court death penalty decisions edited into plain, non-legal English. Long alphanumeric legal citations and disputes over points of procedure have been edited out. Definitions of legal terms and other explanations are included throughout. Some of the issues addressed by the Court in these decisions include mandatory death sentences, mitigating circumstances, and the execution of minors and the mentally retarded. The volume is not indexed. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)