The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council has been the vanguard of the civil justice reform movement in Wisconsin since its 2009 formation. The many reforms championed by WCJC over the past three years will be highlighted by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) at its Annual Legislative Conference for State Coalition Leaders this fall.
Continue reading “ATRA Fall Conference to Highlight Wisconsin Reforms”
Month: November 2013
Radio Host Exposes Myths and Mischaracterizations of Asbestos Trust Legislation
Popular Wisconsin radio personality Vicki McKenna hosted Brian Sikma from Media Trackers for a discussion of the twisted lies opponents of AB 19/SB 13 are using to try and defeat the legislation.
Continue reading “Radio Host Exposes Myths and Mischaracterizations of Asbestos Trust Legislation”
Asbestos House Cleanup
The U.S. House of Representatives is voting today on the bi-partisan Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act, which would require asbestos trust claimants to disclose certain information about relief they have sought before pursuing litigation. Continue reading “Asbestos House Cleanup”
More Transparency Needed in Asbestos Lawsuits
Christian Schneider’s most recent piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel exposes the questionable legal action Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) is taking to seek remedy for her lung cancer – suing 70 companies that she believes contributed to her exposure to asbestos when she was a child while not mentioning she has been a smoker for 40 years. As Schneider explains, lawsuits like this threaten the solvency of trusts set up to compensate actual asbestos victims by firms that went bankrupt, while also placing a burden on solvent companies. Continue reading “More Transparency Needed in Asbestos Lawsuits”
FACT Act Preserves Money for Future Asbestos Victims
In her article that appears in The Hill Blog, Lisa Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, discusses federal legislation that ensures future asbestos victims will be compensated.
According to the article, the federal Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act (H.R. 982) would require various asbestos trusts to file quarterly reports with the bankruptcy courts detailing who has filed a claim and how much money was paid out. Continue reading “FACT Act Preserves Money for Future Asbestos Victims”
Fall 2013 President’s Report
At its fall meeting, the WCJC Board of Directors received and approved the Fall 2013 President’s Report. The report reviews WCJC’s successes to date and outlines WCJC’s goals for the future.
.
Legislature Mulls Change to Chief Justice Selection
The Wisconsin legislature is considering two proposals that would change the way the chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is selected.
Assembly Joint Resolution 67 and Senate Joint Resolution 57 direct the justices on the high court to elect their chief justice for a two-year term. The proposal limits justices to three consecutive two-year terms. Continue reading “Legislature Mulls Change to Chief Justice Selection”
State Bar Supports Judicial Term Limit
The State Bar of Wisconsin is advocating for a change in how members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court are elected. While current law allows members of the high court to run for an unlimited number of 10 year terms, the governing board of the Bar recently decided it would prefer justices only serve one term of 16 years.
Abrahamson Delivers State of the Judiciary Address
Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address at the Wisconsin Judicial Conference on November 6. Her remarks, titled “Back to the Future,” focused on effort to improve the judiciary by applying cutting-edge innovation to evidence-based lessons learned in the past. Abrahamson focused specifically on judicial selection and recusal, touched on the financial challenges the courts face, and detailed new criminal and family initiatives. Continue reading “Abrahamson Delivers State of the Judiciary Address”