Role Reversal: TV's "Judge Alex" Appears Before U.S. Supreme Court

This morning at 11 a.m., the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Preston v Ferrer, a case involving TV's "Judge Alex" and his manager, Arnold Preston. According to SCOTUSblog, the Justices will consider whether the Federal Arbitration Act and Buckeye Check Cashing v. Cardegna (2006) preempt the voiding of an interstate arbitration agreement made pursuant to the California Talent Agencies Act. (In English, compliments of AFJ, the Justices will determine whether Judge Alex has the right to have a court, rather than a private arbiter, decide a dispute with his former manager.)

Though the case has drawn an extraordinary amount of attention because it involves one of the nation's most well-known tv judges, Americans should be watching for a much more important reason. The Ferrer case will affect unsuspecting consumers across the country. If the Court rules that the FAA preempts the California law, it will limit the ability of states to go further than the federal government in protecting potentially vulnerable citizens from unscrupulous companies and employers.

Click here to read more about the case.