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The Complexity Of Modern American Civil Litigation: Curse Or Cure?, Stephen B. Burbank
The Complexity Of Modern American Civil Litigation: Curse Or Cure?, Stephen B. Burbank
All Faculty Scholarship
Originally prepared for the 2007 meetings of the Italian Association of Comparative Law, this paper seeks to excavate the roots of procedural complexity in modern American litigation. Proceeding from the view that there is no accepted definition of complex litigation in the United States, the paper discusses five related phenomena that the author regards as consequential: (1) the architecture of modern American lawsuits and the procedural philosophy that architecture reflects, (2) the volume of litigation and the public and private policies, attitudes and arrangements that affect it, (3) the dynamic nature of, and dispersed institutional responsibility for, American law, (4) …
The Class Action Fairness Act In Perspective: The Old And The New In Federal Jurisdictional Reform, Edward A. Purcell Jr.
The Class Action Fairness Act In Perspective: The Old And The New In Federal Jurisdictional Reform, Edward A. Purcell Jr.
Articles & Chapters
The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (CAFA) was the product of an extended and well-organized political campaign. In Congress, its passage required a grinding eight-year effort, several modifications to the original proposal, numerous committee hearings, multiple reports by both Houses, political compromises that drew some Democratic support, two unsuccessful attempts to terminate debate in the Senate by imposing cloture, and strenuous efforts to amend in both the House and Senate when the bill came to the floor for a final vote. Passage also required Republican control of both Houses of Congress and the presidency as well.