There is still a place for principle in politics

By Staff
Sept. 12, 2002
Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, members of the Mississippi Senate and a few courageous House members are just about the only people in Jackson these days standing firm on the principle of genuinely reforming an unbalanced civil justice system. And their stance is catching a lot of heat from many quarters, including some media outlets and a very vocal trial lawyers' lobby.
As lawmakers return to the work of a special session today, we remind our readers of the curious call by the governor that required them to deal, first, with private prison funding and only thereafter with medical malpractice insurance. A court decision essentially solved the private prison funding issue, for now, leaving medical malpractice insurance as the only item currently on the legislative plate.
That could change today, of course, as the fur still flies in the Capitol.
Members of the Mississippi Legislative Conservative Coalition, including Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, hand-delivered a request on Wednesday to Musgrove to expand his call to include general civil justice reform. The governor's chief of staff, Bill Rennick, politely received the petition but reiterated the governor's oft-stated position that he will not extend the call unless and until the Legislature first puts a medical malpractice bill on his desk.
Medical malpractice insurance is only one element of the crisis in Mississippi's civil justice system. The argument involves more than doctors versus lawyers. Two area senators, Terry Burton and Videt Carmichael, and Rep. Snowden understand that and are clinging to a little raft called principle in a roiling ocean of political intrigue. We appreciate their support for meaningful civil justice reform and encourage them to continue fighting the good fight for the ultimate beneficiaries the people of Mississippi.