This is just the most recent of several Roberts court decisions that have narrowed the scope of federal employment discrimination protections. The most infamous was Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber, in 2007, in which the court prevented a woman who had been the victim of years of pay discrimination from recovering back pay for most of the time she was employed there, because she did not learn of the disparity until near the end of her employment. Congress passed, and President Obama signed, a law overturning that decision.

Second, the court affirmed that it consistently favors manufacturers over consumers. Two years ago, in Pliva v. Mensing, it held that those injured by generic drugs couldn’t sue manufacturers for failing to adequately warn patients of side effects. This is crucial because nearly 80 percent of all prescriptions in the United States are filled with generic drugs (it would be 90 percent if it were not for drugs for which there is no generic equivalent).

On June 24, the Supreme Court went further. In Mutual Pharmaceutical Company v. Bartlett, it held that makers of generic drugs could not be sued for defects in product design. The case involved a woman who was disfigured after taking a generic pain medication. The court said that federal law pre-empted any recovery under state law for failure to warn of the defects.

Third, the court continued to sharply limit class-action suits against companies. Two years ago, in AT & T Mobility v. Concepcion, the court held that a clause in a consumer contract requiring arbitration of disputes precluded a class-action suit. Vincent and Liza Concepcion were upset when they were charged $30.22 in sales tax after getting “free” cellphones. They wanted to be part of a class action against AT & T for fraud.

The Concepcions, like so many of us, had signed an agreement when they got their phones, and it had a clause that said any dispute with AT & T had to be resolved in arbitration. The California Supreme Court had ruled that such arbitration clauses were not enforceable, because consumers had no realistic choice but to sign. But the United States Supreme Court held, 5 to 4, that the arbitration clause was to be enforced and that since it had to be individual arbitration, it could not be a classwide case. Justice Scalia’s majority opinion spoke of the terrorizing effects of class actions, which can force corporations to settle even frivolous suits. But the reality is that class actions are essential when a large number of people suffer damage, especially when the amounts are small: no one will sue, or even go to arbitration, for $30.22.