The New York Times reported July 30, 2009 that Charles E. Schumer, along with three other Senators are sponsoring a bill to curb texting while driving. The legislature in New York recently passed such a measure and sent it to the governor for a signature. Currently texting while driving is banned only in 14 states. Studies have shown that it is at least as dangerous as drinking and driving. The federal bill would exert pressure on States by withholding federal highway funds if they do not outlaw texting and emailing while driving.

Court Seals Documents at Expense of Consumer Safety
An AAJ article June 4, 2009 looks at the practice of courts sealing litigation documents to the advantage of manufacturers in certain product cases. For example, Bausch & Lomb settled hundreds of cases involving contact solution that involved blindness where the court ordered the documents to be sealed.