Class Action and New Forms of Aggregate Litigation in the United States Bocconi Conference Reports May 10, 2024

If there is one issue that underscores the close relationship between civil justice, its methods of delivery, and the fundamental rights enshrined in constitutions around the world, it is undoubtedly access to justice. This book highlights the relevance and timeliness of the issue, as well as the values underlying class actions. Class actions, both as a tool and as a phenomenon of access to civil justice, represent the perfect intersection of private interests (protected rights) and public interests (methods of enforcing violated rights) within the framework of upholding constitutional principles of due process. There is no better place to learn about the origins and evolution of class actions than from the founders and champions of civil liberties within the Anglo-American legal tradition. Over the past several decades, class actions have proven to be a powerful tool for giving voice to the voiceless in civil rights. Today, they are poised to provide a legal response to the major challenges of our time related to the environment, the digital revolution, and inequality, demonstrating their historical, urgent, and contemporary relevance.

is the Herbert M. and Svetlana Wachtell Professor of Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties at New York University School of Law. She received her B.A. from Harvard College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, and attended St. Anne’ s College, Oxford University, as a Marshall Scholar, earning an M.A. (Oxon.) in Modern History. She joined the NYU faculty in 1995 after an acclaimed career as a public interest lawyer at The Legal Aid Society of New York and the American Civil Liberties Union. University Professor and Warren E. Burger Professor of Constitutional Law and the Courts, NYU, School of Law, formerly Bruce Bromley Professor, Harvard Law School (1971 to 2007); faculty, Universities of Minnesota and Michigan. Former Legal Editor, ABC’ s Good Morning America; Host, Miller’ s Court, and several other TV shows; National Emmy recipient for moderating The Constitution: That Delicate Balance.