Supreme Court Shields Corporations From Liability Risks

In its marquee cases on issues such as gay marriage and race relations, the Supreme Court wrestles with the meaning of majestic constitutional phrases -- “equal protection of the laws” and that sort of thing. In the cases that matter the most to businesses, though, the justices address less-grand-sounding provisions such as Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which governs class actions.

It’s not terribly sexy stuff, but arcane rules and jurisdictional statutes often determine the course of global commerce, the terms of employment for millions of workers, and the very nature of justice for many in corporate America.