Category Archives: On My Mind

Perhaps the Greatest Threat to Our Democratic System

The Supreme Court ruled on April 2 in the McCutcheon case that individuals can directly contribute up to $5.9 million per election cycle to political candidates and parties.

The limit had been $123,000 — which was more than enough “influence” already.

Along with the Court’s  ruling  in Citizens United , the Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon is a full frontal assault on our democracy.

Our political leaders are  already forced to spend far too much of their time as ELECTED officials raising money instead of doing the job they were entrusted with on behalf of all Americans. This ruling will just make things worse and further consolidate power and political influence in the super rich.

This current broken system of partisan politics fueled by the influence of special interests is not what the framers of our Constitution had in mind.

It now looks like we need a constitutional amendment requiring publicly financed campaigns with spending limits in order to put of ship of democracy back on course.

Enough is enough.

Chris Placitella is a shareholder at Cohen Placitella & Roth, P.C. and has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders on legal matters.

 

 

Remembering Ronald Motley

  Today we lost a great warrior for the rights of the wrongfully injured. Ronald  Motley, one of our own, was one of the greatest lawyers our nation has ever known. Ron tried and won more cases in more jurisdictions than any other lawyer in American History.   Ron dedicated his professional life to theContinue Reading

CMS proposal limits coverage of drug to help diagnose Alzheimer’s.

  On Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed that “Medicare will pay the costs of brain imaging that uses a Eli Lilly & Co. drug to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease only for patients participating in approved clinical studies,” Bloomberg News (7/4, Lopatto) reported. According to regulators, “there isn’t enough evidence to showContinue Reading

Is the Political Rhetoric of Sarah Palin Like “Shouting Fire in a Crowded Theater”

On Saturday, January 8, 2010,  our country was horrified by the reports of the politically motivated senseless killing of innocent people in Tucson Arizona including a nine year old child and a federal judge. Congresswomen Gifford continues to fight for her life. The circumstances giving rise to this devastation in mortality and injury has sparked a debate aboutContinue Reading

Taking America for Granted

 This morning I awoke to a story in the New York Times about a young couple stoned to death in Afghanistan. The couple was condemned to death by the Taliban for eloping  by more than 100 men who lived in the town where the couple grew up. As I shuddered  imagining  the scene of thisContinue Reading

Congratulations to My Friend & Mentor Ronald Motley

I am very proud  to relate that my friend and mentor Ron Motley has been awarded the American Association for Justice’s most prestigious honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his pioneering work and continued commitment to the pursuit of justice. AAJ was formerly known as ATLA and is recognized as the Trial Lawyers’Continue Reading

A Tribute to a Friend I Will Never Forget

When I first started representing people injured from exposure to asbestos, I was blessed to meet Vincent (Vinny) Cudiner. Vinny was a Local 12 insulator out of New York City who lived in New Jersey with his family. When I first met Vinny , he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma , a form of cancerContinue Reading

Parents are at risk for alcohol served by their children

What is your  responsibility as a parent if someone is injured as a result of alcohol served by your  minor child in your home? Short Answer: You are responsible for any foreseeable harm for the failure to adequately supervise. The law in New Jersey is quite clear that parents have a duty to provide forContinue Reading

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