How a tiny law meant for merchants destroyed the class-action lawsuit

This is the ugly history of arbitration clauses

A California courtroom.
(Image credit: moodboard / Alamy Stock Photo)

The list of the Trump administration's sins against working Americans is already long. But we will soon be able to add another item: protecting arbitration clauses.

These are legal mechanisms hidden in tons of worker and consumer contracts that essentially force people to settle disputes with businesses in private arbitration, rather than in court or other collective actions. They're a poisonous and ubiquitous practice in the American economy.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.