ATRA urged Congressional investigation in spring, citing concerns about privately funded activist attorneys in DC Attorney General’s Office.
WASHINGTON — The American Tort Reform Association applauds the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for launching a formal investigation into the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law and the role of Bloomberg Philanthropies in embedding private attorneys within public offices.
ATRA submitted a letter to House Oversight and Judiciary members in April urging examination of the District of Columbia Attorney General’s participation in the State Energy & Environment Impact Center’s program by “hiring” one of its private attorneys, as well its practices in awarding contracts to outside counsel.
“We are grateful to Chairman Comer and the members of the committee for taking this bold step to investigate these arrangements that can put at risk government independence and due process rights,” said Tiger Joyce, president of ATRA. “The litigation undertaken by state attorneys general offices participating in the Bloomberg program often appears to target specific industries in an effort to further a political agenda.”
ATRA long has expressed concerns about the implications of the State Energy & Environment Impact Center, which began in 2017. The program is funded by a $5.6 million grant from Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization and allows private attorneys to serve as “Special Assistant Attorneys General” in state offices, including in the District of Columbia. These privately funded Special Assistant Attorneys General are placed on the public payroll to pursue litigation targeting specific industries on issues related to climate change and environmental policy.
“We commend the Committee for recognizing the need for greater transparency and accountability regarding outside involvement in government litigation,” Joyce said. “The independence and integrity of our legal systems are compromised when public authority is leveraged to advance the private agendas of well-funded special interests.”
ATRA looks forward to the Committee’s continued efforts to ensure accountability and restore trust in the government’s legal practices.
About the American Tort Reform Association
Founded in 1986, ATRA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and is the nation’s first organization dedicated exclusively to reforming the civil justice system through education and legislative enactment. ATRA acts as a nationwide network of state-based liability reform coalitions backed by 154,000 grassroots supporters. ATRA works to bring greater fairness, predictability and efficiency to America’s civil justice system. Those efforts have resulted in the enactment of state and federal laws that make the system fairer for everyone.
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