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Judicial Activism, Economic Theory And The Role Of Summary Judgment In Sherman Act Conspiracy Cases: The Illogic Of Matsushita, James F. Ponsoldt, Marc J. Lewyn

Scholarly Works

The proper role of neoclassical economic theory in the resolution of antitrust disputes will continue to be debated into the next administration. The Reagan Administration has succeeded in persuading the Supreme Court to incorporate laissez-faire assumptions and goals into Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts jurisprudence in at least three major decisions, although the long-range importance of the holdings in two of those cases remains somewhat in doubt.

One of those decisions, however, reflects more than just a disagreement about application is of the antitrust laws. In Matsushita, the Court, ordering summary judgment for defendants at the urging of the Justice …