July 15, 2005
Lock step
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in favor of victims when it struck down the cap on damages a victim can receive for non-eonomic injuries. Imagine that! The court believes in our system of justice. My, my.
A jury and a judge should be permitted to hear the facts and render a verdict. Not exactly radical stuff for most of us, but Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce is unhappy. Furious.
Jim Haney, president of WMC and ruler of the Lobbyist's Legislature, cried foul. Even though the court based its decision on constitutional grounds, Haney issued a ukase to the Lobbyist's Legislature. Fix this or we will lose our jobs and our best doctors! Really? Noted heart surgeon W. Dudley Johnson has a different take on these issues: "Do something about malpractice. A cap has never improved a doctor's performance." Right on, Dr. Johnson.
The fun part of this is to read the WMC news release: "Today, the Wisconsin Supreme Court crossed over and established itself as an activist court."
Haney didn't explain what the court "crossed over" but he put out the line. Who gobbled it up? The elected head of the Lobbyist's Legislature, John Gard. What did he say? "This is another example (not citing any others but hey, who is watching?) of an activist court overstepping its authority." I'm not making this up. He not only takes the WMC line but now he tells us the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction over the state's constitution.
Who does, may I ask? Jim Haney?
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