Maps the roles in governance that courts are undertaking and how they matter in the political life of these nations.

Part I. Expanding Judicial Roles in New or Restored Democracies: 1. The politics of courts in democratization: four junctures in Asia Tom Ginsburg; 2. Fragmentation? Defection? Legitimacy? Explaining judicial roles in post-communist 'colored revolutions' Alexei Trochev; 3. Constitutional authority and judicial pragmatism: politics and law in the evolution of South Africa's constitutional court Heinz Klug; 4. Distributing political power: the constitutional tribunal in post-authoritarian Chile Druscilla L. Scribner; 5. The transformation of the Mexican Supreme Court into an arena for political contestation Mónica Castillejos-Aragón; Part II. Expanding Judicial Roles in Established Democracies: 6. Courts enforcing political accountability: the role of criminal justice in Italy Carlo Guarnieri; 7. The Dutch Hoge Raad: judicial roles played, lost, and not played Nick Huls; 8. A consequential court: the US Supreme Court in the twentieth century Robert A. Kagan; 9. Judicial constitution-making in a divided society - the Israeli case Amnon Reichman; 10. Public interest litigation and the transformation of the Supreme Court of India Manoj Mate; 11. The judicial dynamics of the French and European fundamental rights revolution Mitchel de S.-O.-l'E. Lasser; 12. Constitutional courts as bulwarks of secularism Ran Hirschl; Part III. Four 'Provocations': 13. Why the legal complex is integral to theories of consequential courts Terence C. Halliday; 14. Judicial power: getting it and keeping it John Ferejohn; 15. Out of phase: politics, regimes, and regime politics Mark A. Graber; 16. The mighty problem continues Martin Shapiro; 17. Conclusion: of judicial ships and winds of change Diana Kapiszewski, Gordon Silverstein and Robert A. Kagan.