联邦最高法院与现代美国公司的成长

The Supreme Court and the Growth of Corporations in the U.S.

19世纪20年代到20世纪20年代是现代美国公司的成长、成型时期。在这一时期,美国联邦最高法院通过一系列的判决,为公司的发展作出了四个方面的贡献:实现了公司身份与法律地位的平民化、人格化;以“正当程序条款”取代“契约条款”,作为保障公司权益的新宪法依据;理顺了铁路公司与独立监管机构之间的关系;对反垄断法进行合理性解释,最大限度地发挥现代公司在美国经济发展过程中的作用。

In the period of 1819-1920, the Supreme Court made a series of decisions to facilitate the founding and developing of American corporations. These decisions generalized and personalized the corporations, which resulted in the 'due process clause' succeeding the 'contract clause' as the protector of corporation property. The Supreme Court also put the ICC on a proper position and emphasized the 'rule of reason' and the anti-trust decisions, which optimized the function of modern corporations.