Looking forward to next Tuesday’s election:

* The American Justice Partnership is blasting Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine, noting that while a practicing trial lawyer he was sanctioned by a court for filing a suit deemed meritless and that while mayor of Richmond he asked staffers to look into the possibility of having the city sue gun manufacturers. For an account of the 1989 suit, see AP coverage, Jan. 10, and this Commonwealth Conservative post, the comments section of which indicates the Kaine campaign’s response. The Kaine campaign’s response on the gun-suit issue is here.

* * In California, campaigning continues on Proposition 79 (see Oct. 26), which would among other provisions empower anyone to sue pharmaceutical companies for the vaguely defined offense of “profiteering”. (William Finn Bennett, “Libertarians blast both prescription drug initiatives”, North County Times, Oct. 29). The Civil Justice Association of California strongly opposes the measure, as should we all.

* Washington state doctors and lawyers continue to battle down to the wire on legal-fee limits (see Ted Frank, PoL, Sept. 12) and now the lawyers appear to have thrown in the towel on their counter-initiative so as to devote all resources to defeating the doctor-backed I-330. (Ralph Thomas, “Doctors, lawyers toss mud to tout message”, Seattle Times, Oct. 10; Seattle Times, “Lawyers’ new goal: Defeat I-330”, Oct. 31) (via KevinMD). Pro-I-330 forces have put up a website whose contents, like its name, are rather rude: TheirLipsAreMoving.com (if you need the reference to the old lawyer joke explained, visit the site). And Arizona doctors are studying the Washington initiative with an eye to possibly launching one of their own, despite trial lawyers’ threats of a revenge-initiative if they do (Phil Riske, “Doctors, lawyers still might square off on the ballot”, Arizona Capitol Times, Oct. 31).

Filed under: Arizona, politics, Seattle, Washington state