Book excerpt: The newest version of the Federal Rules of Evidence, reproduced in the appendix, are the anchor of this single-volume Nutshell, with some state variations noted where important. The text summarizes significant U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including the latest Confrontation Clause cases; additional leading cases; forefront expert and scientific evidence developments; and principal schools of evidentiary thought. It includes practical implementation as well as scholarly approaches, and pays attention to the litigation process as a whole and interdisciplinary cross-pollination where helpful.