Congressional Power to Abolish Common Law Judicial Actions .-- Similarly, it is clearly settled that ''[a] person has no property, no vested interest, in any rule of the common law.'' It follows, therefore, that Congress in its discretion may abolish common law actions, replacing them with other judicial actions or with administrative remedies at its discretion. There is slight intimation in some of the cases that if Congress does abolish a common law action it must either duplicate the recovery or provide a reasonable substitute remedy. Such a holding seems only remotely likely, but some difficulties may be experienced with respect to legislation that retrospectively affects rights to sue, such as shortening or lengthening statutes of limitation, and the like, although these have typically risen in state contexts. In one interesting decision, the Court did sustain an award of additional compensation under the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, made pursuant to a private act of Congress passed after expiration of the period for review of the original award, directing the Commission to review the case and issue a new order, the challenge being made by the employer and insurer.
Deprivation of Liberty: Economic Legislation .--The proscription of deprivation of liberty without due process, insofar as substantive due process was involved, was long restricted to invoca tion against legislation deemed to abridge liberty of contract. 157 The two leading cases invalidating federal legislation, however, have both been overruled, as the Court adopted a very restrained standard of review of economic legislation. 158 The Court's ''hands-off'' policy with regard to reviewing economic legislation is quite pronounced.