"Desperate Judges" TV Show

While many trial lawyers fail to even acknowledge the existence of a problem (see T. Evan Schaeffer's post on ATRA announcement from yesterday), which is the same denials that have existed through the medical malpractice negotiations, the Karmeier-Maag race, and now the post-election period, even well-respected and nationally-renowned news organizations such as the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and St. Louis Post-Dispatch are acknowledging the problems with Madison County.

Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune wrote an editorial about Madison County, citing the late Judge John DeLaurenti (a 27-year veteran of the Madison County bench) as saying there is "some merit to the accusation of bias". The Belleville News-Democrat has weighed in on the emigration of class action suits from Madison to St. Clair County. The local paper says: "The message to Illinois' reformers is to keep fighting and not get discouraged." Good point.

The best column has to be from St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan, who is making a pitch for a new Madison County-based sitcom to be called (I'm not kidding here) "Desperate Judges," a parity off of the new hit series Desperate Housewives. I'm not sure how ABC will try to utilize Monday Night Football to promote this new courtroom drama, but I'm hoping it doesn't have anything to do with towels in the locker room like their last ill-timed promo.