The court said it overturned the settlement because it violated the fundamental principle behind a class action.

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And in real life, many middle-class voters feel the same way as a matter of principle.

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The key principle that Amgen relied on was that the plaintiff must prove at the class certification stage that the misrepresentations were material.

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Mr. Obama endorsed the political ruse he calls the Buffett rule, which asserts as a matter of moral principle that millionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than middle-class wage earners.

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There is a general principle within elite performance systems, including everything from Scripps National Spelling Bee Championships to world-class modern dance companies, scientific research communities and professional sports.

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