This digest of a full report with the same title reviews the literature on the legal implications of college faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure decisions, with an emphasis on how an understanding of the relevant legal principles can inform practice. It briefly summarizes issues in the following areas: the role of the courts in reappointment, promotion, and tenure decisions; reasons for tenure being the subject of numerous faculty lawsuits; the contents of the faculty employment contract; the constitutional guarantees of due process for untenured faculty members; the courts' balancing of institutional and individual First Amendment rights; protection from illegal discrimination in reappointment, promotion, and tenure decisions; the legal boundaries of affirmative action; the courts' concern for balance between the importance of confidentiality for the peer review system and the need to prohibit discrimination; the liability exposure of administrators and faculty members participating in the peer review process. The digest also lists specific steps that can be taken by administrators, faculty members, and institutional attorneys to minimize the risk of litigation. (CK)