Dethroning Economic Kings: The Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 and its Modern Awakening

In this Comment, I examine federal courts’ hesitation to apply the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 to address the consolidation of the meatpacking industry. A currently pending case, Pickett v. IBP, represents an opportunity for federal courts to apply the Act to combat that consolidation, and I argue that Pickett—the first class action suit granted class certification under the antitrust provision of the Act—represents an opportunity for the judiciary to reform the meatpacking industry by addressing issues of equal access to the market.