A recent AAJ article reports that a petition is pending requesting that the Supreme Court allow active duty military personnel to sue the government. Petty Officer Nathan Hafterson died on March 26, 2006, at Naval Hospital Jacksonville after being admitted for trouble breathing. His attorneys state that it would put military members on the same footing as civilians under the Federal Tort Claims Act. This malpractice action was denied by the lower courts because a federal law (known as the Feres doctrine) prohibits active military members from suing the US government.

Disney monorail death to be investigated
The Chicago Tribune reported on July 7 that in addition to OSHA, “the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it will investigate the deadly collision on Walt Disney World’s monorail, an unprecedented move by a federal agency best known for probing airline crashes.”