The Corporate Court: Your Rights vs. Corporate Interests
Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 10:30 AM CDT • L100 H
Nan Aron, Dahlia Lithwick, Eva Paterson, Carl Pope, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
Panel participants will address the growing influence of corporations within the American judicial system, particularly in the Supreme Court. Under Chief Justice John Roberts, an activist conservative majority on the Court has aggressively weakened or eliminated consumer protections and workers’ rights, while restricting the ability of everyday Americans to use the courts to find justice. In recent cases ranging from Citizens United vs. FEC to Exxon vs. Baker, and from this term’s AT&T Mobility vs. Concepcion and Wal-Mart vs. Dukes, the transparently pro-business Roberts Court has demonstrated a repeated willingness to elevate corporate power at the expense of the individual. In order to enable and motivate our activists to fight back, progressive organizations and bloggers must understand the battleground, the tools at our disposal and the stakes. With several important Supreme Court decisions expected this summer, and with conservatives continuing their long-planned efforts to capture the judicial system, the panel will examine what’s at stake for the American people and our democracy, as well as the need for progressives to pay significantly increased attention to the courts and the selection of judges.