'Best Supreme Court Term In 30 Years'

Business Benefits From Legal Victories

The Chamber's Robin Conrad touts NCLC's successful involvement in key business-related Supreme Court cases.

In its session ending in June, the U.S. Supreme Court considered more business-related cases and ruled in favor of businesses more often than in previous sessions, owing in part to the advocacy efforts of the  Chamber's public policy law firm, the National Chamber Litigation Center (NCLC).

"This has been our best Supreme Court term in 30 years," according to Robin Conrad, executive vice president of NCLC. "We submitted filings in more cases than ever this term, and we won more cases than ever."

NCLC filed friend of the court, or amicus curiae, briefs in 15 cases. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of business in 13 of them. The cases covered a range of business issues, including punitive damages, environmental cleanup liability, and use of pension funds. "All of these cases have far-reaching implications for businesses, including small firms," said Morrison & Foerster partner Beth Brinkmann at a NCLC media briefing on June 19. 

The highlights of the term included the decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Inc., in which the Court agreed with NCLC that there must be a limit to how far back in time an employee may go to allege pay discrimination under U.S. law.

In another case, Philip Morris v. Williams, the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for a jury to award punitive damages to punish a company for harming individuals who were not part of the lawsuit. In another opinion, the Court made it more difficult for plaintiffs to bring baseless securities class action lawsuits.

For more information, go to www.uschamber.com/nclc