This essays on the Bill of Rights, written by thirteen prominent jurists, are a powerful reminds of the capacity of the Constitution to evolve to meet the needs of a changing society. They assess the adaptive strength of the Bill of Rights, plus the Thirteen, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. They give special attention to equal protection to minorities and the poor, and to the Constitution's application in the school desegregation, voting rights, and criminal justice cases. They explore the ability of the Constitution, and the limits of that ability, to respond to unresolved questions of inequality in race, gender, and economic circumstance. They consider the changing role of the federal court structure and the implications of the shifting relationships of power between federal and state governments. They reflect on the consequences, present and potential, of attacks on the independence and the power of the federal judiciary. -- From publisher's description.