U.S. Supreme Court strikes down state law that banned consumer rights violations.

Many credit card issuers, banks and cell phone companies routinely include in the "small print" of their contracts a clause that requires customers to individually contest any dispute through arbitration--often at a remote location and under the auspices of an arbitrator selected by the contract-writing corporation.    Consumer interests have routinely fought these adhesion contracts by demonstrating that they deprive individual customers of the ability to actually have a fair hearing with regard to disputed billings or practices.  The California legislature had adopted a law which held this type of provision "unconscionable" and therefore unenforeceable as a matter of law.  Consumers in California were free to exercise normal civil rights, individually or as a class action, in the event of a dispute.