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Our mission
•To limit expansion of tort liability
•To reduce lawsuit defense costs
•To speed resolution of lawsuits
•To improve fairness & certainty of
civil justice system
Our members
The LRC membership is a broad
coalition of
•Business
•Government entities
•Nonprofit organizations
See our member list of over 70
Washington organizations
Over the last few decades, the plaintiffs’ bar has grown into an organized industry—which the Manhattan Institute calls Trial Lawyers, Inc.—and the trial-lawyer lobby has emerged as a major political force that combines large-scale political giving with K-Street lobbying sophistication.
Although the trial bar’s political clout is well known, a new report released by the Manhattan Institute, Trial Lawyers, Inc.: K Street—A Report on the Litigation Lobby, 2010, the latest edition in its Trial Lawyers, Inc. series, shows that the extent of its influence is greater than even many seasoned political observers realize.
A summary of findings include:
What is the extent of the plaintiffs’ bar political giving to the Democratic Congressional leadership?
- Lawyers have donated $1.05 billion to federal candidates since 1990, including $33 million in contributions from the trial lawyers’ political action committee, the American Association for Justice
- Two of the top five private contributors to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the last campaign were plaintiffs’ law firms
- Plaintiffs’ law firms are four of the top seven contributors to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the top two—and seven of the top twenty—contributors to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
How has the litigation industry parlayed its Congressional clout into an aggressive legislative agenda?
- The first bill signed into law by President Obama made it easier to file discrimination suits by limiting statutes of limitations
- Numerous bills in Congress would eliminate arbitration contracts that encourage resolution of disputes that are too expensive to take to trial—including a defense-contractor amendment that was the first legislative success for Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.)
- Senator Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), whose son Shanin is a major Philadelphia plaintiffs’ lawyer, has introduced a bill giving the plaintiffs’ bar a $1.6 billion tax cut
How is Trial Lawyers, Inc. aggressively pursuing a political agenda at the state level?
- Lawyers have donated $725 million to state political candidates over the last decade
- The litigation lobby is pushing state legislation that would authorize new kinds of lawsuits, weaken limitations on collectible damages, and give private lawyers authority to sue on behalf of the state
- Concentrated political giving in states with elected judiciaries has led to an escalating spending race that harms public confidence in judicial impartiality
The LRC’s 2008 Tracking the Trial Lawyers report finds the combined contributions of the 10 regional trial-lawyer political action committees spent nearly $1.5 million for the second consecutive election cycle. This staggering amount pales in comparison to the whopping $7 million contributed by individual lawyers. Because of their ability to raise and spend money on political campaigns, the influence of the trial lawyer lobby now rivals that of the state’s most powerful unions and businesses.
Click here to see the complete report.
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News from the LRC:
- LRC issues 2010 Judicial Scorecard
- Supreme Court candidate recommendations
- Supreme Court deals another blow to liability reform.
Judicial Scorecard shines a bright light on the Supreme Court
Arguably, amongst the most powerful people in the state of Washington are the members of the Washington Supreme Court. Despite the enormous influence they wield—on everything from death penalty cases to water rights issues—few people know much about these nine justices.
Every two years the LRC produces a thorough review of the significant liability cases decided by the court and provides a synopsis of each case and the justices’ rulings.
The 60-plus members of the LRC are committed to ending lawsuit abuse by working with the state legislature and closely monitoring and highlighting the decisions of the Supreme Court.
This fifth installment of the LRC Judicial Scorecard (PDF) once again shines a bright light on the Supreme Court and how they influence our civil litigation system.
LRC issues Supreme Court candidate recommendations
The LRC supports Justice Jim Johnson, Justice Barbara Madsen and Pierce County Superior Court Presiding Judge Bryan Chushcoff for the Supreme Court.
The ballots for the Aug. 17 are mailed and the stakes are high for this election, with at least two Supreme Court elections decided in the primary.
Two of the three races are a two-way contest which means the candidate who receives over 50 percent of the primary election vote will advance to the general election without a challenger on the ballot.
The LRC supports qualified candidates who share its views on limiting the expansion of tort liability and reducing the cost of litigation, yet speeding the resolution of civil actions and improving fairness and certainty within the civil justice system.
LRC supports Jim Johnson
Justice Jim Johnson has a lifetime score of 87 percent on the LRC Judicial Scorecard, which puts him in first place. Since being elected to the court six years ago, Justice Johnson has emerged as one of the Court’s most effective members – sitting on over 700 cases and authoring over 140 opinions. He is in the majority over 90% of the time. He richly deserves to be re-elected.
Justice Johnson is running against Tacoma plaintiff’s lawyer, Stan Rumbaugh. Mr. Rumbaugh’s practice is described by the Associated Press as “personal injury, workers’ compensation and wrongful death.” Mr. Rumbaugh served on the board of governors for the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA) and is the past chair of WSTLA’s legislative committee.
The contrast between Justice Jim Johnson and Mr. Rumbaugh couldn’t be clearer. Justice Johnson has judicial experience; Mr. Rumbaugh has none. Justice Johnson was one of our state’s most trusted appeals attorneys prior to his election; Mr. Rumbaugh has handled a mere two cases before the state Supreme Court. Justice Johnson has a record of judicial restraint; Mr. Rumbaugh has identified many cases where he would have used the power of the court to rewrite state law.
Jim Johnson for Justice
P.O. Box 6821
Tacoma, WA 98417
360-539-2012
www.jimjohnsonforjustice.org
LRC supports Bryan Chushcoff
Judge Bryan Chushcoff has served as a Pierce County Superior Court Judge for 13 years. He is currently serving his second term as Presiding Judge, a position to which he was elected by his peers. Judge Chushcoff’s view that the role of a Supreme Court justice is to strictly apply the law as provided by the legislature rather than to create an outcome based on ideology or political preference is refreshing. His intellect and experience will provide the Court with fairness and predictability.
Judge Chushcoff is running against Justice Richard Sanders who has a paltry score of 34% on the LRC Judicial Scorecard, which puts him in seventh place on the Court. A third opponent, Charlie Wiggins, told the LRC he wouldn’t expect his score to be any higher than Justice Sanders’.
Judge Chushcoff is clearly the strongest candidate in this three-way race.
Elect Bryan Chushcoff
P.O. Box 6948
Tacoma, WA 98517
www.chushcoff4justice.com
LRC supports Barbara Madsen
Chief Justice Barbara Madsen has a lifetime score of 63 percent on the LRC Judicial Scorecard, which consistently puts her in second place. She is a strong asset to the Court and the LRC supports her bid for another six-year term.
Committee to Re-Elect Barbara Madsen
P.O. Box 46752
Seattle, WA 98146
www.chiefjusticemadsen.org
High court tosses modest reform
In July, Washington Supreme Court dismantled a bi-partisan and modest liability reform measure agreed-upon by physicians, personal-injury lawyers, Gov. Gregorie and a majority of the legislature following the heated medical liability debate of 2005. The issue at hand is the requirement that plaintiffs give a 90-day notice before suing healthcare providers for malpractice. For more information, read the LRC’s press release