A report by the non-profit Contributions Watch found that trial
lawyers have contributed at least $100.4 million to politicians at the
state and federal level from 1990 through 1995, more than any other
profession. Particularly disturbing, state attorneys general have, in
effect, deputized trial lawyers to litigate costly tort cases for them
on a contingency basis—primarily in suits involving tobacco
companies and the health-care costs incurred by smokers. In a blatant
conflict of interest, some state prosecutors are handing out these
contracts—in which tort lawyers can share in huge personal
rewards—without competitive bidding, and the lawyers then contribute
large amounts of money to various politicians' campaigns.
[Ed.: There has been considerable debate among economists and
policy analysts over one of the central assumptions behind many of
these lawsuits—that tobacco users constitute a drain on the Medicare
system. The argument revolves around the contention that smokers tend
to die early before being able to take full advantage of their medical
benefits, effectively subsidizing nonsmokers' health care.]
†