WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate Wednesday voted to block business-backed legislation limiting class-action lawsuits, thereby dealing a blow to the Bush administration.
By a 59-39 vote, majority Senate Republicans fell one vote short, temporarily halting President Bush's longstanding drive for sweeping legal reforms.
The Financial Times said the vote underscores the difficulties of moving Bush's policy agenda through the narrowly divided upper chamber. The issue is now considered dead for this year.
Republicans argued shifting class-action cases from state to federal courts, as the legislation provided, would discourage frivolous lawsuits. But Democrats said the GOP excluded them from crafting a compromise that would have been acceptable. They charged the bill was chiefly meant to hurt trial lawyers who litigate such cases.
The Times noted trial lawyers give most of their contributions to Democrats, while business tends to support Republicans.
Class-action lawsuits allow plaintiffs whose injuries might not be worth enough to justify bringing individual suits to combine their claims into one lawsuit against a common defendant.
