DOJ report shows decline in federal tort lawsuits News
DOJ report shows decline in federal tort lawsuits

[JURIST] There has been an almost 80 percent decrease [DOJ press release] in the number of federal tort trials from 1985 to 2003, the US Department of Justice [official website] said in a report released Wednesday. According to Federal Tort Trials and Verdicts, 2002-03 [report abstract; PDF full text], the decrease can be attributed to the growing use of alternative dispute resolution and the increased complexity and costs of trial. In addition, DOJ research showed that 98 percent of tort cases were settled without trial. The study contrasts with political complaints about lawsuits. In February, President Bush signed the Class Action Fairness Act [JURIST report], which sends large class action suits to federal courts rather than state courts, saying [White House press release] he wanted to "[end] the lawsuit culture in our country." A bill due for a vote next month in the Senate would end asbestos lawsuits [JURIST report] and would instead create a compensation fund. Bloomberg News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Ku Klux Klan founded

The US hate group known as the Ku Klux Klan was founded on December 24, 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee as a reaction to reconstruction efforts following the Union victory in the American Civil War. The group would later become notorious for its attacks on Black Americans, being targeted by the Enforcement Act of 1871, which imposed civil and criminal liability for deprivation of constitutional rights. Read the Enforcement Act of 1871.  

Hamid Karzai born

On December 24, 1957, Hamid Karzai was born in Karz, Afghanistan. He would go on to become in 2004 his country's first elected president after the end of Taliban rule in 2001.