Research Briefing

Judiciary Committee To Vote On Democrat Donor

And Trial Lawyer Jack McConnell

“The Senate Judiciary Committee Will Vote On The Nomination Of John J. McConnell, Jr., To Be United States District Judge For The District Of Rhode Island On Thursday, June 17, 2010 At 10 a.m.” (Senate Judiciary Committee, “Executive Business Meeting,” 6/17/10)

OBAMA GIVING FEDERAL JUDGESHIP TO TOP RHODE ISLAND DEMOCRAT DONOR

Jack McConnell Is “An Important Player In Liberal Politics, Both Nationally And In Rhode Island.” (Brian Jones, “Rhode Island’s Billion-Dollar Man,” The Boston Phoenix, 02/28/07)

• McConnell Is Treasurer Of RI Democratic Party, Has Played “Key Roles” In Major State And Federal Campaigns For Rhode Island Democrats. “Besides being treasurer of the state Democratic Party, he’s undertaken key roles in the campaigns of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, three-time gubernatorial candidate Myrth York, and US Repr. Patrick J. Kennedy. Thousands have been raised for national figures, including presidential frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton, during fundraisers at McConnell’s East Side home.” (Brian Jones, “Rhode Island’s Billion-Dollar Man,” The Boston Phoenix, 02/28/07)

“Over The Past Two Decades, McConnell And His Wife Sara’s Contributions Have Approached $700,000 ...” (Katie Mulvaney and John E. Mulligan, “Thompson, McConnell Nominated for Federal Bench,” The Providence Journal-Bulletin, 4/14/09)

• McConnell Was Part Of The Soft Money Explosion Of Donations To The DCCC Which Began In 1997.  “McConnell worked hard to introduce [Patrick] Kennedy to colleagues, flying him on the corporate jet so he could spend time with senior partner Ronald L. Motley and hosting a dinner on Capitol Hill for Kennedy, Gephardt and other trial lawyers with deep pockets.  On June 30, the courtship paid off -- with a check for $ 250,000. ‘No question about it,’ McConnell said, ‘that was a personal contribution to Patrick.’” (Susan B. Glasser, “Democrats’ Fast Track Is ‘Soft Money’; Campaign Committee Erodes GOP Funding Edge,” The Washington Pos,t 10/17/99)
• From 1999 To 2000, McConnell’s Law Firm Motley Rice “Was Rhode Island’s Largest Political Contributor.” “In the 2000 election cycle, Motley Rice, which is based in South Carolina, was Rhode Island’s largest political contributor, donating more than $500,000 to federal campaigns alone.” (Editorial, “Fools for Motley” The Wall Street Journal, 4/25/09)
• Jack And Sara McConnell Have Donated At Least $650,000 To The DNC, DSCC, DCCC And The Rhode Island Democratic State Committee In The Last 15 Years. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.com, Accessed 3/8/10)
• Jack McConnell Gave Obama’s Inaugural Committee $50,000. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.com, Accessed 3/8/10)

Jack And Sara McConnell Have Also Donated At Least $23,000 To Sens. Jack Reed And Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) In The Last Decade. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.com, Accessed 3/8/10)

• Sens. Reed and Whitehouse Recommended McConnell To Obama. “U.S. Senators recommend people for the federal bench all the time. So when trial attorney Jack McConnell was tapped last week for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island by Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, the announcement received much less scrutiny than it deserves.” (Editorial, “Fools for Motley” The Wall Street Journal, 4/25/09)

MCCONNELL’S ONLY JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE IS FINDING NEW WAYS TO CREATE LAWSUITS …

McConnell Is A Lifelong Trial Attorney. “With 25 years of experience in complex litigation, Jack McConnell directs the Environmental practice group at Motley Rice, seeking corporate accountability and crafting resourceful and innovative strategies and solutions of environmental hazards and contamination.” (Jack McConnell, Motley Rice Profile, Accessed 3/18/10)

McConnell “Pioneered” New Ways “To Bring Lawsuits.” “Mr. McConnell and his firm helped pioneer the practice of soliciting public officials to bring lawsuits in which the private lawyers are paid a percentage of any judgment or settlement. The law firms front the costs of litigation and are compensated if the suit is successful. But such contingency-fee arrangements inevitably raise questions of pay to play. And private lawyers with state power and a financial stake in the outcome of a case can’t be counted on to act in the interest of justice alone.” (Editorial, “Fools for Motley” The Wall Street Journal, 4/25/09)

McConnell “Will Receive As Much As $3 Million In Annual Deferred Payments For The Next 14 Years” From Class Action. “Rhode Islander Jack McConnell and his wife have contributed $700,000 to Democrat candidates and liberal organizations over the last three decades. Three members of the U.S. Senate committee considering his nomination for a federal judgeship are beneficiaries of that largesse… For a high-flying plaintiff's attorney like Jack McConnell, $700,000 is just a business expense. As his part of the Big Tobacco settlement, the Motley Rice attorney will receive as much as $3 million in annual deferred payments for the next 14 years -- that's $42 million work-free dollars.” (Editorial, “The Plaintiffs Attorneys' Made Man,” The West Virginia Record, 5/21/10) 

… AND HELPING SHELDON WHITEHOUSE BRING “UNPRECEDENTED” LAWSUITS AGAINST RHODE ISLAND JOB CREATORS

Then-Attorney General, Now Senate Judiciary Member Sheldon Whitehouse Signed Contract With McConnell’s Firm To Represent State In Lawsuits. “In 1999 State Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat with an eye on the governor’s office, met with John J. McConnell Jr., a Providence-based Ness Motley partner and treasurer for the state Democratic Party. Whitehouse signed a contract with Ness Motley and another local lawyer to represent the state in a suit against the lead industry. They would get half the normal 33% contingency fee. It happens that Ness Motley is Rhode Island’s largest political contributor, at $540,950 for the 2000 national elections. Motley filed suit in October 1999.” (Michael Freedman, “Turning Lead Into Gold,” Forbes, 5/14/01)

• Whitehouse “Signed An Unusual ‘Retainer Agreement’” With McConnell’s Firm, Giving Them “Considerable Control Over Whom To Sue.” “Whitehouse signed an unusual ‘retainer agreement’ with Ness Motley and another firm. It not only guaranteed the lawyers a contingent fee of 16.67 percent of any money recovered, plus all litigation expenses; it also gave them considerable control over whom to sue, what to claim, whether to settle, and on what terms.” (Stuart Taylor, Jr. “Perverting The Legal System: The Lead-Paint Rip-Off,” National Journal, 2/19/03)