Supreme Court's 'Iqbal' Ruling to Get Congressional Hearing

David Ingram

10-26-2009

Ashcroft v. Iqbal (pdf), the 5-month-old U.S. Supreme Court decision that has become a thorn in the side of the plaintiffs bar, will get a Capitol Hill airing on Tuesday.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold the first congressional hearing on the far-reaching May ruling, which raised the pleading standard for most civil complaints, making it more difficult to keep cases from being thrown out.

The hearing isn't likely to be the last time Congress weighs in on the matter. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., has sponsored legislation to return to an earlier pleading standard, and he wields the gavel in a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

With the future of thousands of potential lawsuits at stake, expect a battle royale between lobbyists for the trial lawyers and the business community.