The Center for American Progress today released a report discussing structural reforms to the court system and suggesting reforms to restore access to the courts — two topics that are discussed separately in the report but are surely related. The reforms suggested to restore individuals' access to the civil justice are not new ideas but remain important.
- Restoring plaintiffs’ ability to bring class action suits
- Prohibiting forced arbitration in all consumer and employment contracts
- Restricting secret settlements and record sealing in cases affecting public safety
- Restoring the power of private attorneys general to enforce federal law
- Restoring simpler pleading standards
The report does a nice job of explaining the issues and the need for change. The full report is here.