“The Nation’s Top Ten Worst State Attorneys General” (1/24/07) cited by the Institute for Legal

[jody]

Reform, affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Report at http://cei.org/pdf/5719.pdf

The report lists the top ten worst state AGs as:

1. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut
2. Bill Lockyer, California
3. Eliot Spitzer, New York
4. Zulima Farber, New Jersey
5. Patrick Lynch, Rhode Island
6. Darrell McGraw, West Virginia
7. William Sorrell, Vermont
8. Lisa Madigan, Illinois
9. Peg Lautenschlager, Wisconsin
10. Tom Reilly, Massachusetts

Does the list favor one political party more than the other?

[alfredo]

1. The C of C is very pro business. That could be why Spitzer is there.

[jody]

3. Agree but if most of the top 10 are say Dems, that would promote interesting speculations. n/t

[annabanana]

9. It would only mean that Dems understood the concerns of the average

citizen in the face of corporate power. & greed. This would not surprize me.

[alfredo]

16. Might be interesting bit of research. Look for the AG's cases.

That might also give some clues as to why this subsidiary of the C of C doesn't like these guys.

[baldguy]

2. The US Chamber of Commerce is WAAAYYYY biased toward business & against consumers.

This list reflects that bias.

[jody]

5. Agree but does the list contain mostly Dems? n/t

[appleannie1]

15. Answer for # 1

He served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1984 to 1987, and then the State Senate from 1987 to 1990. As a volunteer attorney for the NAACP legal defense fund, Blumenthal saved the life of an innocent, wrongly convicted death row inmate, who came within hours of execution.



Blumenthal -- the highest Democratic vote getter in the state -- graduated from Harvard College (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude), and Yale Law School, where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal.
------------------------------------------------------------------

From what I can find out he has gone after insurance companies big time and won huge settlements for the people of the state.

http://www.ct.gov/ag/site/default.asp

Will look up #2 now.

[jody]

33. appleannie1, many thanks for your posts. We know the Chamber is pro-big business but this list

also shows it is blatantly anti-Democratic Party because we are the only political party willing to support and fund candidates for state attorney general who will go to court on behalf of workers and consumers and fight big-business and WIN!

Thanks appleannie1 :thumbsup:

:toast: and a round of :applause: for state Dem AGs who made the top ten on the Chamber of Commerce's most hated list.

[appleannie1]

17. Lockyer is a Dem.

Lockyer refuses to tolerate those who prey upon our newest neighbors or those perceived as different. To ensure protections are accessible to all Californians, Lockyer opened the Office of Immigrant Assistance, created a Civil Rights Unit, fought to protect the Americans With Disabilities Act, established Rapid Response Protocols for hate crimes, and prosecuted immigration consultant fraud.

Californians expect clean beaches, breathable air, unpolluted water, and majestic forests. During his tenure, Lockyer has revived the once dormant environmental sections of the office that aggressively defend our tremendous natural resources.

[appleannie1]

18. We know for Spitzer

[appleannie1]

21. Farber - Dem

Attorney General Farber earlier in her career served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Bergen County and as an Assistant Counsel to then Gov. Brendan Byrne. From 1992 to 1994, she served as state Public Advocate in the Cabinet of former Gov. James Florio. She was the last public advocate to serve in office before former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman abolished the office in 1994. The office was restored in 2005 under legislation signed by former Gov. Richard Codey and Governor Corzine's appointment of Ronald Chen to the position. When Governor Corzine nominated her to become Attorney General, she was a senior partner at the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler PC, one of New Jersey's largest firms.<1>

In December 1996, Farber was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket.<2>

[appleannie1]

22. Lynch - Dem

Attorney General Patrick Lynch endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president on Saturday, making him the second prominent Rhode Island Democrat to pick Obama over his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton.


So not one of them is Rethug.

[appleannie1]

23. Darrell McGraw -Dem

[appleannie1]

24. William Sorrell -Dem

William H. Sorrell is the current attorney general of the state of Vermont, United States. Originally appointed by Governor Howard Dean in 1997, he has won re-election five times since then in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

[appleannie1]

25. Lisa Madigan - Dem

She tends to go after mortgage companies and the real estate business a lot.

[appleannie1]

27. Peg Lautenschlager -Dem

Practice Areas: Consumer Fraud, Environmental Actions, Securities Class Actions, Antitrust Cases, Labor Union Relations,

From the law office prior to Attorney General

[appleannie1]

29. Tom Reilly -Dem

[annabanana]

4. That just means they aren't especially business friendly

They may prosecute more product injury cases..

[jody]

6. Agree but is the top ten mostly Dems? n/t

[annabanana]

10. Why is that the most important question to you?

[jody]

11. Not the most important question, just a question. n/t

[appleannie1]

30. They are all Dems, All have won against Insurance Co, mortgage lenders,

real estate people, environment abusers etc. In other words, they all have gone after the big boys.

[Strelnikov_]

7. Competitive Enterprise Institute, Reich front organization

On January 24, 2007, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released their report on the The Nation's Top Ten Worst State Attorneys General. Blumenthal was listed at number 1, beating out Bill Lockyer of California and Eliot Spitzer of New York. CEI is a pro-business group skeptical of the use of litigation to promote policy change.

[GOPisEvil]

8. Texas' Greg Abbott is not on the list, therefore this list is invalid.

The fact that is comes from the Chamber of Commerce is a sign of its invalidity as well. However, I suppose from their pro-business point of view, this list makes sense. Pro-consumer groups would probably have a much different list.

[sybylla]

12. Well, it surely doesn't favor my former progressive Dem AG

Peg Lautenschlager was a defender of the people against corporations. And I've never met a Chamber of Commerce organization that approved of defending the people against corporate criminals.

So I suspect it does favor one party over another - as most Chambers of Commerce do.

[flashl]

13. Do not know party aff. of #6 but he persued and won a case against Perdue 'oxcycotin' Pharm

after receiving warnings to back down from the 'justice' dept. Prosecuting big businesses may be the answer.

[Staph]

14. Ask and ye shall be answered!

1. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut - D
2. Bill Lockyer, California - D (currently Jerry Brown - D)
3. Eliot Spitzer, New York - D (currently Andrew Cuomo - D)
4. Zulima Farber, New Jersey -D (currently Anne Milgram - D)
5. Patrick Lynch, Rhode Island - D
6. Darrell McGraw, West Virginia - D
7. William Sorrell, Vermont - D
8. Lisa Madigan, Illinois - D
9. Peg Lautenschlager, Wisconsin - D (currently J. B. Van Hollen - R!)
10. Tom Reilly, Massachusetts -D (currently Martha Coakley - D)

So, can you trust a survey of worst attorneys general, when the surveyor got half of the names wrong? The five misnamed attorneys general were elected in 2007, but still . . . .

(ETA -- I misread the date as 1/24/08! Mea culpa!)

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Chgamber of Commerce

aka Repubican Cheerleaders

[Selatius]

20. The US Chamber of Commerce is biased against attorneys who are forceful in enforcing regulations.

The business world would rather there be less regulation and oversight over its activities, not more. It eats up profit margins whenever they are found to be doing wrong and then prosecuted in court.

[NutmegYankee]

26. To translate: These guys kick corporate ass for the people.

Keep Kicking, Blumenthal Rocks!

[Jacobin]

28. The C of C is an Extreme Right Wing pro-business klatch

Anyone they rate negatively is probably doing a really good job.

[provis99]

31. so the C of C is mad at people who prosecute CRIMINALS?

fuck em. The C of C is nothing but a fascist front for criminal empires itself.

[pstokely]

32. What about District Attorneys or former State Attorney Generals?

Phil Kline would be on that list

[jody]

34. Thanks to all who replied to this thread and appleannie1 & Staph who showed the list is all Dem. nt