Corporate Governance

Two weeks ago, we commented on the judicial nomination of attorney John J. McConnell, Jr., for the federal District Court in the District of Rhode Island.  Last week, McConnell?s nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 17 and now goes to the full Senate.

However, McConnell joins a backlog of 26 judicial nominees awaiting floor action, according to Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond Law School, writing Monday in the Sacramento Bee.

McConnell?s nomination was attacked by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others, based on his career in toxic tort litigation.

As the nomination neared the Judiciary Committee last week, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion by Richard A. Epstein on June 16, arguing that: ?A tough liability system does more than provide compensation for serious harms after the fact.  It also sorts out the wheat from the chaff.?  Epstein happened to be commenting on BP?s man-made undersea gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, arguing specifically that: ?BP Doesn?t Deserve a Liability Cap.?

There it is: Plaintiffs? lawyers play an important role in our legal system.