  We present a theory of the effects of impurity scattering in d_{x^2-y^2}
superconductors and their quantum disordered counterparts, based on a
non-linear sigma model formulation. We show the existence, in a
quasi-two-dimensional system, of a novel spin-metal phase with a non-zero spin
diffusion constant at zero temperature. With decreasing inter-layer coupling,
the system undergoes a quantum phase transition (in a new universality class)
to a localized spin-insulator. Experimental implications for spin and thermal
transport in the high-temperature superconductors are discussed.
