A former U.S. attorney general said Ms. Kagan's Clinton administration experience might give some indication of her approach to tort reform.
“She was in the Clinton White House and in the domestic policy area, and they were no fans of tort reform,” said Richard L. Thornburgh, who was attorney general under President George H.W. Bush and now is of counsel in the Washington office of the law firm K&L Gates L.L.P. “I would assume she would reflect that on any occasion where she was called upon to pass upon questions that involve tort reform,” he said.
Mr. Thornburgh also noted that solicitors general represent the federal government, and “lawyers who represent the government don't necessarily present their own views.”
The leader of a consumer rights group that opposes tort reform also praised Ms. Kagan.
“I think, generally, consumer groups are positive about her selection,” said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the New York-based Center for Justice & Democracy.
“It's difficult to know how she might come out on specific issues, but in general everybody's pretty supportive of her nomination,” she said. “It's a good sign that she was against” the product liability reform legislation that President Clinton vetoed. Ms. Doroshow said.
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