Discusses the responsibilities of the U.S. Solicitor General, and argues that the Reagan administration has attempted to use the position to further partisan goals Caplan offers a fine analysis of major controversies about the role of law and recent Supreme Court decisions. He focuses on the solicitor general (SG), the individual who argues the federal government's position before the court. Caplan details many developments in the Reagan administration's Department of Justice and compares presentations of the Reagan political agenda to the court by the last two SGs. He argues that the legal positions of the SGs have lost credibility because of their recent partisan advocacy and emphasizes key cases. Highly recommended for an understanding of interactions between the executive and judiciary.Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.