The growing influence of corporate power over everyday Americans is at stake in one of the key cases to be heard this term by the U.S. Supreme Court – AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion.  The Court, under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, has proven to be an increasingly faithful friend to big business by steadily chipping away at consumer and employee rights in a host of cases.  One way the Roberts Court has done so is by consistently expanding the reach of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts and consumer product agreements.  In AT&T v. Concepcion – which addresses whether a contractual ban on class actions within a cell phone contract can be found unconscionable under California law – the Roberts Court has grabbed an opportunity to turn forced arbitration into a License to Steal.  Why is AT&T v. Concepcion so important? Many aspects of Americans’ everyday lives are controlled by contracts that individuals must sign to receive a job, a product, or a service.
Employment terms, health care coverage, car loans, insurance plans, credit cards terms, cell phones agreements, and hundreds of other things are governed by contracts, most of which have forced arbitration provisions that require individuals to submit any claims for corporate wrongdoing to an arbitrator selected by the company. (click on link to read full story)