[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7939-H7940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    JUDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, PART 2

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to once again discuss 
the judges of Madison County, Illinois, Part 2. It sounds like a book. 
Maybe it will be; maybe it should be.
  Last night I rose to address what the American Tort Reform 
Association calls America's number one judicial hellhole, also known as 
Madison County, Illinois. As I promised then, I am back to shine a 
little more light into that hole. There is absolutely no doubt the 
ripple effect of frivolous civil lawsuits has been felt in every corner 
of this great country. When greedy trial lawyers get together to 
brainstorm which companies they can sue for millions and millions of 
dollars and put no less than 40 percent of their winnings in their own 
pocket, everyone loses; everyone, that is, except the trial lawyers. 
And one greedy trial lawyer who makes darn sure he never loses when it 
comes to lining his own pockets is Randall Bono from Madison County.
  Mr. Bono has made a fair living doing business in this judicial 
hellhole on the backs of hardworking men and women. In fact, he was 
able to retire at the age of 42 from the millions of dollars that he 
won in asbestos civil lawsuits.
  Madam Speaker, I may never know how Mr. Bono or other trial lawyers 
sleep at night knowing they have made their fortunes because of civil 
injustice being doled out in Madison County, Illinois, but I know as 
long as this hellhole remains open for business and scoundrels like Mr. 
Bono use it to take hard-earned money away from working folks, I will 
be in the well night after night in this House to stand up to say 
enough is enough.
  I rise tonight specifically to address the first amendment violations 
of the courts of Madison County, Illinois. That is right; with the 
court's authority in Madison County, trial lawyers have violated or at 
least chilled the exercise of first amendment rights held by members of 
the media and civil defendants.
  I admit, Madam Speaker, it is a rare occasion for me to stand up and 
defend the media, but I simply cannot and will not let the courts of 
Madison County trash the rights our forefathers worked so hard to 
ensure for everybody. If Members think the media or anyone else is safe 
from the wrath of Madison County, think again, Madam Speaker. Consider 
just a few of the cases outlined in my letter to Attorney General 
Ashcroft requesting a formal investigation of Madison County, Illinois 
and all their shenanigans.
  In one effort to trash somebody's first amendment rights in Madison 
County, a plaintiff's law firm made legal maneuvers in June 2004 to try 
and force defendants to share and discuss any associations with or 
support of groups promoting tort reform. At least one of these groups 
has filed a motion for protective order with the court because their 
feelings about tort reform have absolutely nothing to do with the case 
before them, and forcing them to share this information is an 
infringement of their first amendment rights.

[[Page H7940]]

  The Wall Street Journal editorialized that the plaintiff firm's 
requests have no legal merit and their purpose is simply to intimidate 
and coerce these folks.
  In June 2003, the presidents of several major tort reform 
associations got slapped with subpoenas only after they appeared at a 
press conference to speak out against the outrageous litigation abuse 
in Madison County, Illinois. The subpoenas demanded that two of the 
individuals travel halfway across the country a month later to appear 
for a deposition in a product liability case. Once again, the clear 
purpose of these subpoenas was to harass and intimidate.
  At an April 2004 public forum hosted by Washington University Law 
School in St. Louis, former U.S. Attorney General and former U.S. Court 
of Appeals Judge Griffin Bell said that counties like Madison County 
that are known for treating civil defendants unfairly are a stain on 
our system. Judge Bell called for a Federal investigation into the 
administration of civil injustice in Madison County, but again the 
wrath of the judicial hellhole was felt the very next day. A Madison 
County judge retaliated by barring Judge Bell and his firm from 
appearing in their courtroom.
  Madam Speaker, we will continue this discussion every night until 
somebody looks into the injustices of Madison County, Illinois.

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