A Must Read Article - Supreme Court Inc.

Supreme Court Inc. is one of the most insightful, illuminating articles that I have read about how the Big Business penetrated the U.S. Supreme Court through effective legal and lobbying manoeuvres orchestrated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

During the term ended last June, "The chamber's litigation center filed briefs in 15 cases and its side won in 13 of them - the highest percentage of victories in the center's 30-year history."

Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University and author of "The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America," sheds light on behind the scene manoeuvres that have transformed the Supreme Court from its historical role--issuing opinions in areas of free speech, racial and gender equality, and other issues that reflected or consolidated a social consensus. Today, the Court is the unabashed influential ally of American Big Business -- without regard for the harmful economic, health, and life safety consequences borne by ordinary American citizens.

"Though the current Supreme Court has a well-earned reputation for divisiveness, it has been surprisingly united in cases affecting business interests. Of the 30 business cases last term, 22 were decided unanimously, or with only one or two dissenting votes."

Professor Rosen notes that ever since John Roberts was appointed chief justice in 2005, the court has become even more receptive to business concerns. Forty percent of the cases the court heard last term involved business interests, up from around 30 percent in recent years. While the Rehnquist Court heard less than one antitrust decision a year, on average, between 1988 and 2003, the Roberts Court has heard seven in its first two terms - and all of them were decided in favor of the corporate defendants...........................................

http://ahrp.blogspot.com/2008/03/must-read-article-supreme-court-inc.html
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