![United States Supreme Court exterior](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2024/07/n21261486/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1719864870915.jpg)
Slate: How the Supreme Court has shaped the US economy
Cincinnati, OH—“The ways that Supreme Court decisions impact Americans’ rights and freedoms tend to get headlines—but there’s another way the court shapes our lives that is often overlooked. Since the country’s founding, the Supreme Court has played a significant role in shaping the U.S. economy by managing the mix of government and markets,” wrote Joseph Tomain, Dean Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and Sidney Shapiro, Professor, Wake Forest University School of Law, in their recent article “How the Supreme Court has shaped the US economy” for Slate.com.
In the article, which is based on their new book, How Government Built America, the authors make the case that the court at times has been pro-market and protected business against regulation, but it has also facilitated the capacity of government to promote and ensure the country’s fundamental values of equality, liberty, fairness, and the public interest when markets were performing in ways inconsistent with those values.
Tomain and Shapiro provide a short overview of the Supreme Court and its’ rulings from the country’s founding to the Great Depression to the Great Society to today, and the impact of those decisions on both markets and society in general. They take a close examination of the Roberts court, most recently known for overturning Roe v. Wade, expanding gun rights, restricting voting, and gutting affirmative action. They note that the Roberts Court has also reversed the long trend of deferring to the mix of government and markets favored by the democratic process for most of the 20th century.
The authors discuss how Supreme Courts have pushed back after Congress expanded government to counteract market conditions inconsistent with the country’s fundamental values, recognizing that government overreach can occur. However, the Supreme Court exists to rein it back in in such circumstances.
Read Tomain and Shapiro’s editorial “How the Supreme Court has shaped the US economy” for more insight into their perspective.
Lead photo: US Supreme Court (istockphoto.com)
Related Stories
New year begins as Cincinnati Law welcomes Class of 2024
August 18, 2021
UC College of Law's Class of 2024 kick off the new academic year.
The New York Times: Using opera to shine a light on wrongful imprisonment
February 16, 2024
The New York Times highlighted UC Law's Ohio Innocence Project and signature operate in national article.
Bloomberg Law: School DEI training appeal poses complex worker speech questions
February 19, 2024
UC Law Professor Brad Mank was quoted in a recent Bloomberg Law article about whether school employees have standing to sue.
ABC News: Plight of wrongfully convicted and exonerated prisoners explored through opera
March 4, 2024
The Ohio Innocence Project is highlighted by ABC News.
The New Yorker: An Opera for the Wrongfully Convicted
February 26, 2024
The opera "Blind Injustice", the story of six individuals freed through the work of the OIP, was featured in a New Yorker magazine article.
Enquirer: After overturned convictions, Hamilton County prosecutor launches integrity unit
May 13, 2024
Professor Mark Godsey discusses problems with proposed Hamilton County Conviction Integrity Unit.
Slate: How the Supreme Court has shaped the US economy
June 28, 2024
University of Cincinnati law professor, Joseph Tomain, wrote a Slate editorial discussion how the Supreme Court has shaped the US economy.
WVXU: Supreme Court temporarily blocks key air pollution regulations
July 1, 2024
University of Cincinnati law professor spoke with WVXU about recent Supreme Court decision to temporarily block key air pollution regulations.
UC's 'Blind Injustice' opera premieres to acclaim, makes national news
July 30, 2019
"Blind Injustice," an innovative opera drawing on the lives of six people freed through the work of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, premiered July 22 at the world-renowned Cincinnati Opera to national acclaim.
Bloomberg Law: Landmark LGBT decision clarifies legal test for other discrimination claims
June 16, 2020
Law professor weighs in on landmark LGBT decision.