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Guilt-Free Markets? Unconscionability, Conscience, And Emotions, Hila Keren

BYU Law Review

Despite record-level economic inequalities and a vast growth in market exploitation, courts remain surprisingly reluctant to exercise their power to invalidate the resulting predatory contracts. There is no doubt that courts are authorized to invalidate predatory contracts based on their unconscionability. There is, however, an ongoing debate regarding the desirability of utilizing this judicial power in a capitalist society. This Article enters the discussion from a unique angle: it focuses less on the bottom line of jurisprudence and more on the law’s expressive power—the fact that the law’s impact extends beyond its ability to sanction or reward behaviors. Specifically, the …