Here’s a view against capping medical malpractice lawsuits. Personally, I am for capping these lawsuits, at least to the extent that they are responsible for rising medical costs. However, as Dr. Pinson alludes to, bad and incompetent doctors should not be allowed to mis-practice their profession in secrecy. It’s simple enough to bring these matters…
Category: Law
HMOs
Here’s a good one: Supreme Court ruling approves state laws on doctor choice. What do the HMOs have to say? The Health Insurance Association of America says the laws “are one more instance of government unnecessarily interfering in private relationships between doctors and health plans.” Uh, right. No doctor I’ve ever met truly wants to…
Smoker’s Award = No Personal Responsibility
A California smoker with lung cancer will get $28 million in punitive damages. Read the story in the Houston Chronicle. The lack of personal responsibility in this country is a nightmare. People choose to smoke; they choose not to quit; they choose to die. Period. If one revs the engine in one’s V8 SUV and…
No More Miranda Warnings?
An appeal to the Supreme Court of an Oxnard, CA excessive force case in which a man who fought with police was shot by police could have wide-ranging impact on our legal system, including a possible rollback of the Miranda requirement. Read the story on Yahoo.com. This basic right of citizens being questioned by police…
Jury Room Camera Debate
The battle described Monday over the use of cameras in the jury room of a Houston-area murder trial rages on. Reas the Houston Chronicle story. As of this morning’s NPR broadcast, this case is now national news. That is highly unfortunate as this bad idea hardly deserves additional attention. One hopes that at least jurors’…
Cameras Don’t Belong in Jury Room
State District Judge Ted Poe is planning to allow cameras in the deliberation room of a capital murder trial. Read the story in the Houston Chronicle. Judge Poe is known for his unconventional approach to jurisprudence and is very popular in his district and in the greater Houston area. However, in this case, he is…
Heart Transplant Patient’s Widow Sues
The widow of a volunteer for an experimental artificial heart is suing the manufacturer and hospital involved. Read the AP story on Yahoo.com. Interestingly, the basis for the suit is not pain and suffering but the “inconvenience” of being examined repeatedly. What is not discussed in the article is the patient’s previous condition. Did he…
Estrada Judicial Fight
President Bush has nominated another highly qualified candidate for a judicial post. By all accounts, Miguel Estrada’s a nearly ideal candidate. Read about the upcoming confirmation battle on CNN.com Very likely this will erupt into another idealogical, party-line embarrassment in the Senate. Let’s move past our petty party politics. This man is qualified to do…
Ted Williams’ Will
One more case of “Only in America”, this time in regards to Ted Williams, the last man to ever hit .400 in a baseball season. His family can’t decide if Ted wanted to be frozen or cremated, so they are in a legal catfight over the issue. Read about it on MSNBC.com Me, I never…
Steven Wayne Smith
Supreme Court candidate Steven Wayne Smith is hardcore in his distain for Affirmative Action. Read about it in the Houston Chronicle. Normally I take this as a sign of good judgment in a candidate. AA is nothing if not an unnecessary, demoralizing, and divisive crutch for minorities. Still, Smith’s language gives me pause. Phrases like…