For a net-roots-backed Democrat elected in the heat of a recession, Barack Obama has been surprisingly gentle – you might even say conservative – in his treatment of business. The US president has rescued Wall Street’s plutocrats and shows few signs of wanting to reshape fundamentally the way the financial system works. Meanwhile, he has pushed General Motors and Chrysler, two pillars of the unionised, Democratic heartland, into bankruptcy.

There has, however, been one moment when the White House overstepped the mark in its dealings with the private sector, and that is why, for anyone concerned for US capitalism, this week’s heroine is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is one of the strongest liberals on the bench, but even Ayn Rand couldn’t fail to be impressed by the one-sentence order she issued on Monday delaying Chrysler’s shotgun wedding to Fiat.