A new report from the The People’s Parity Project examines the backgrounds of judges on state “business courts.”
Sixty-three percent of Americans live in a state with a business court. Although business courts are intended to hear cases between businesses, a significant number of states hear cases that include workers and consumers, typically relating to product liability, unfair trade practices, misrepresentation, or contract disputes. Yet, the report finds, 46% of business-court judges are former corporate lawyers, and less than 7% have experience working as public defenders, legal Aid attorneys, or lawyers that represent injured workers and consumers.
The report discusses the impact of the judges’ backgrounds and offers recommendations.
