Most of the spending came from the political arm of the American Association for Justice, a trial lawyer association that purports to be non-partisan.
Trial-lawyer groups have spent millions in recent years to support Democrats who then reward their benefactors with lucrative public contracts to represent consumers in lawsuits against deep-pocketed companies, revenue which the lawyers then pour back into the political system, according to a new report from a consumer-advocacy group shared exclusively with National Review.
The Alliance for Consumers discovered that political action committees tied to trial lawyers spent $26 million supporting Democratic candidates, affiliated committees, and activist groups from 2017 to 2023. Those politicians and activist groups then ensure a steady supply of consumer-protection cases for the lawyers.
“For years, trial lawyers have exploited consumer protection contracts with states. Instead of looking out for victims and consumers, trial lawyers pocket the money and then push cash to left-wing causes,” Alliance for Consumers executive director O.H. Skinner said in a statement to NR.
“The Shady Trial Lawyer Pipeline Reports continue to shine a light on these trial lawyers, who channel millions into liberal agendas under the guise of consumer protection.”
Most of the recent spending, $19.9 million, came from the AAJ PAC, the political arm of the American Association for Justice, a trial-lawyer association that purports to be non-partisan. The AAJ PAC has given $2.5 million to the Senate Majority PAC, a group affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), and $1.3 million to America votes, a progressive voter turnout group.
Other left-wing and Democratic organizations such as Emily’s List, Priorities USA Action, Rural Vote, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee have also received donations from the AAJ PAC. Only two percent of AAJ’s disbursements have gone to Republicans and affiliated organizations.
The AAJ PAC has given $800,000 to another organization, the Truth and Justice Fund company, that pumped $2.5 million into toss-up elections over the past couple of election cycles, boosting Democratic candidates in must-win contests.
For the 2024 election cycle, the AAJ PAC has given almost $1.7 million to federal candidates, with 97 percent of the contributions going to Democrats. The disbursements are split up among many Democratic candidates, typically to the tune of $10,000 each, according to non-partisan campaign finance watchdog Open Secrets.
Every two years, the AAJ PAC spends approximately $6 million on elections to support “pro-civil-justice” candidates, the PAC’s website says. Members of the American Association for Justice elect trustees to run the committee and determine which candidates are worth supporting. The PAC is a pool of donations from members of the American Association for Justice and state-level trial lawyer associations. National Review has reached out for comment.
The American Association for Justice’s main priority is rolling back arbitration clauses for various types of lawsuits against corporations, and ending “qualified immunity” for law enforcement, a major policy demand of the Black Lives Matter movement. Scaling back the use of arbitration clauses would open the door for activist trial attorneys to file even more lawsuits against big-pocketed opponents, and potentially cash in with settlements and legal fees.