In December 2006, the American Tort Reform Foundation released its 2006 list of “Judicial Hellholes,” an annual publication that identifies and ranks those jurisdictions across the country where, in their words, “scales of justice” tip heavily in favor of one party, usually plaintiffs. Three Illinois jurisdictions (Cook County, Madison County and St. Clair County), known as havens for class-action plaintiff s’ lawyers, again made the list. What is surprising, however, is their ranking on it. Each of these counties moved down in the list of those jurisdictions exhibiting the worst judicial abuses from #2, #3 and #5 respectively in 2005 to #4, #5 and #6 in 2006. In the past year and a half the Illinois Supreme Court has issued three major decisions that have significantly dampened plaintiffs’ lawyers’ enthusiasm to utilize Illinois as the jurisdiction of choice for nationwide
class actions....