Empirical Study of Class Actions in Four Federal District Courts: Final Report to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules.

摘要

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, an outgrowth of an equity rule, was promulgated in 1938 as part of the first Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The current version of the rule creates a procedure designed to permit representative parties and their counsel to prosecute or defend civil actions on behalf of a class or putative class consisting of numerous parties. Rule 23 was last amended in 1966. The Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules is currently considering proposals to amend Rule 23.