In The News Today – February 2, 2015

The New York Post reports that the New York state Supreme Court’s civil division in lower Manhattan is reportedly under federal investigation in connection with the indictment of New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The court is “presided over by judges with ties to Silver and his lifelong pal, Jonathan Lippman, the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals.” (New York Post)

The Manhattan Institute’s James Copland writes that the indictment of New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver may finally allow the legislature to pass comprehensive legal reform to cut the “state’s outsized tort costs” that “hit not just businesses and doctors but also taxpayers.” (New York Post)

The (WV) State Journal’s legal reporter, Linda Harris, writes that “there’s a movement afoot to legislate sweeping legal reforms here that proponents say would signal the Mountain State’s readiness to shed its sue-happy reputation for one that’s more business-amenable.” (The State Journal)