This is the property of the Daily Journal Corporation and fully protected by copyright. It is made available only to Daily Journal subscribers for personal or collaborative purposes and may not be distributed, reproduced, modified, stored or transferred without written permission. Please click "Reprint" to order presentation-ready copies to distribute to clients or use in commercial marketing materials or for permission to post on a website. and copyright (showing year of publication) at the bottom.
Subscribe to the Daily Journal for access to Daily Appellate Reports, Verdicts, Judicial Profiles and more...

Feb. 12, 2026

Justice for sale: How court backlogs favor deep-pocketed companies

America's success has long depended on strong courts enforcing contracts, but crushing backlogs, overburdened judges and costly private justice now threaten access to fair dispute resolution and tilt the economy toward those with the deepest pockets.

Daniel Y. Zohar

Phone: (213) 689-1300

Email: dzohar@zoharlawfirm.com

Daniel Y. Zohar is a lecturer at the UCLA School Law and the principal at the Zohar Law Firm in Los Angeles. He has been practicing law since 1993.

See more...

Justice for sale: How court backlogs favor deep-pocketed companies
Shutterstock

We are a litigious country, yet one reason the United States has thrived is the strength of our judicial system.

For example, someone doing business in a developing country will tell you that contracts are often broken, and remedies rarely come through the courts, but through secret cas...

To continue reading, please subscribe.
For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
Receive unlimited article access and full access to our archives,
Daily Appellate Report, award winning columns, and our
Verdicts and Settlements.
Or
$895, but save $100 when you subscribe today… Just $795 for the first year!

Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)

Already a subscriber?

Enewsletter Sign-up