| Saswat - I understand where you are coming from with regards to the legitimate interests for the state to want this information. One of the key facets of a public institution is that it is accountable to taxpayers, and for this accountability to have some depth, there must be access to information. My main concern with the current situation in Maryland is the reason for the legislature's action (Purdue using its influence). Law school clinics aren't the only public agencies that sue big companies - state and federal agencies do this as well. They take these actions to protect their citizens - and one of the reasons I pay tax dollars is to be protected by my government - be it from E.Coli in my hamburgers or from toxic waste in my tap water. Most people would probably be shocked if a company were able to get the legislature to threaten these agencies to protect its interests.
I think that one of the issues that is so concerning about this is that law school clinics seem like a low hanging fruit. It is easier to have the legislature exert influence over a group of law students than it is to have it exert influence over a long established government agency. There will also likely be less outcry. Nonetheless, this is still quite a threat. If the legislature found a well-documented trend of lawsuits against a particular industry that seemed motivated by bias, or a disproportionate number of frivolous law suits filed by law school clinics, there may be grounds for action, but it doesn't seem as though this threshold has been met yet in Maryland.
-- DavidGoldin - 09 Apr 2010 |