"Death Penalty on Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents" sifts through the rhetoric, politics, and emotion that characterize one of the most highly discussed, yet least understood issues facing the United States today. Placing the death penalty in a historical perspective with an emphasis on the last 50 years, this case-driven volume explains the legal theory that has perpetuated it and the judicial reasoning, both pro and con, behind such landmark Supreme Court cases as "Furman v. Georgia" and "The United States of America v. Alan Quinones."

From the first Massachusetts Bay...

Spanning the history of the federal system of government of the United States, "The Legislative Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics" looks at the evolution of the U.S. Congress over the past 225+ years, then describes its current structure, responsibilities, and daily operations.

Readers will learn how congressional powers have changed with different interpretations of the Constitution, how a colorful gallery of power brokers (famous and infamous) made its mark, and how politics (both electoral and within the Capitol) affects legislation, oversight efforts, and...