We've reported previously that the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce is polling members on their thoughts about an initiated constitutional amendment on 'tort reform' since the Arkansas legislature failed to put one on the ballot.
Another update today, this one from Stephens Media, on the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce's obsession with closing the doors of the courthouse to damage suits, or at least to meaningful damage awards (thus effectively discouraging all lawsuits.)
I heard yesterday that the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce is expected to decide in June whether to mount a petition campaign to put a "tort reform" constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2014.
Constitutional amendments will be discussed by the legislature's state agencies committees today and competing proposals for changes to law governing damage lawsuits ("tort reform") are at the top of the agenda.
The new Republican legislative majority is settling so many scores and catering to so many base interests that it's truly impossible to keep up with them all.
Funny. I wrote yesterday about a sharp analysis of the legal impact of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce's proposed constitutional amendment on "tort reform," which would strip the Arkansas Supreme Court of rule-making authority in damage lawsuits.
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the businesses it represent are pushing hard for a "tort reform" constitutional amendment to overturn the Arkansas Supreme Court's continued insistence that damaged people are entitled to a fair day in court.;
Businesses, tired of a level playing field, propose nothing less than a radical reshaping of the balance of government.
I reported earlier that Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, with significant input from plaintiffs' lawyers, had gotten the jump on the business lobby by filing a proposed constitutional amendment with several Republican co-sponsors to curb the impact of Arkansas Supreme Court rulings in big damage cases.