|
Judicial hopefuls treading the line
Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Paul P. Panepinto, who is seeking the GOP nomination for a seat on the state Supreme Court, has gotten some significant support from Texas lawyers. A Houston law firm that represented two women in a 2005 case here before Panepinto donated $50,000 to his campaign. Five other Texas lawyers or firms gave another $100,000, meaning that more than half of his campaign bankroll during the first months of the race came from the Lone Star state. State Superior Court Judge Seamus P. McCaffery, a Democratic high court contender, is getting key labor support. His campaign recently got a giant $50,000 check from John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty's Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - with a promise of $100,000 more. Such contributions highlight the frantic race for money in the primary battle for two seats on the state's highest court - and underscore concerns that some donations might also be seen as an effort to curry favor with a judge.
North Carolina court hears arguments in Dell incentives lawsuit
RALEIGH, N.C. Attorneys have asked the North Carolina Court of Appeals to reinstate a lawsuit against the state and Dell Incorporated. The attorneys are challenging more than 300 (M) million in incentives for the Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker to build in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Several individual taxpayers sued state and local governments and Dell, contending the state and U-S constitutions prohibit tax breaks for individual companies. A trial judge threw out the lawsuit, saying the legality of these incentives was settled by the state Supreme Court ten years ago. The individuals appealed. Their lawyer, Bob Orr, told the three-judge panel his clients have legal standing to sue and that the incentives -don't- serve a public purpose. An attorney representing Dell, Burley Mitchell, told the judges the incentives are legal and the issue of tax breaks is a public policy question left for the General Assembly to determine.
Tort-Reform Supporters Buy In to Power of the Press
Tort-reform types have long pushed their message in the halls of state legislatures and Congress. Some are now taking another tack: trying to inform, and influence, by bankrolling local newspapers. Not surprisingly, at least one plaintiffs lawyer is fighting back. The showdown is brewing in Beaumont, Texas. Earlier this month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for business, launched a free weekly paper there that covers class-action, mass-tort and personal-injury litigation and editorializes against supposedly bogus claims. Brent Coon, a colorful and well-known plaintiffs lawyer, filed a motion in state court seeking to question the editor and reporter of ... .
|
|
