James July-August 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 56
“ It won’t happen.”
“ The plaintiff’s bar has
too many resources.”
“ It’s political suicide.”
Those were the familiar refrains
I heard for more than a decade
whenever the issue of tort reform
came up at the State Capitol. For
years, meaningful reform of Georgia’s civil justice system was considered untouchable. We reached a
breaking point and I refused to look
the other way.
Throughout my time in the
Senate, I’ve pushed to bring fairness and balance back to our
courts. What started as a policy
concern quickly became a crisis.
By the summer of 2023, commercial insurers were leaving the state,
and Georgia businesses were
facing runaway “nuclear” verdicts.
Auto, home and business insurance
premiums were spiking. In some
cases, employers were being held
more liable for the actions of criminals than the criminals themselves.
At the same time, third-party
litigation financing, largely unregulated and often backed by foreign
actors, was flooding our courts and
distorting our system of justice.
Even members of the State Supreme Court were asking the legislature for clarity. The pressure was
mounting, not from lobbyists, but
from the ground up: small business
owners, farmers, and job creators
across Georgia. The same people
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who reached out during the COVID
shutdown were calling again, this
time saying they couldn’t afford to
wait any longer. The system was
broken, and they needed relief.
That’s when Gov. Brian Kemp,
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and legislative
leaders decided to act not with
rhetoric, but with strategy and
resolve. Earlier this year I carried
Senate Bills 68 and 69, two foundational pieces of legislation designed to protect consumers, stop
lawsuit abuse and restore confidence in Georgia’s civil courts. We
didn’t take a shortcut. We engaged
every stakeholder. Over the summer, the governor held multiple
roundtables with healthcare
providers, business leaders, and
legal professionals. The solutions
were shaped by real stories from
truckers, victims of human trafficking and even plaintiffs’ attorneys.
Everyone had a seat at the table.
As the author and sponsor of
both bills, I was proud to stand firm
through more than 20 hours of committee hearings, despite relentless
misinformation, and offer a voice
for the thousands of Georgians
demanding change. These reforms
were grounded in data, informed
by lived experience, and guided
by a simple principle: our justice
system should serve the people,
not exploit them.
This year’s success was the
result of collaboration, leadership,
and courage. But let me be clear:
this is only the beginning. The
plaintiffs’ bar and Georgia Trial
Lawyers Association have spent
decades blocking pro-growth
reforms under the Gold Dome.
They aren’t backing down. In fact,
they’re regrouping, energized and
well-funded, already working to undermine the progress we’ve made.
With election season on the
horizon, we’re just a few Senate
votes, or one trial-lawyer-friendly
lieutenant governor, away from undoing this work. That’s why I’m calling on Georgians to stay engaged.
Ask candidates where they stand.
Support leaders who believe in a fair
and balanced justice system. And
don’t let the special interests erase
the progress we’ve made.
I opened this piece with the
words of those who doubted us.
Let me close with the words of
someone who reminded us why we
fight. A small-town Georgia farmer,
testifying at a committee hearing,
shared how close he came to losing
everything: “It’s a challenge for us
to be able to operate every day
knowing these lawsuits are out
there… It’s a fear we live with every
day, knowing that people are out
there trying to get you.”
That fear is real. It’s not just a
talking point. It’s the reality for the
farmer, the mechanic, the family-owned store. These are the people who keep Georgia running. And
they deserve a legal system that
works for them, not against them.
We’ve made historic progress.
Let’s keep the momentum going.
State Senate President Pro Tempore John F.
Kennedy, R-Macon, authored the 2025 tort reform
law and is a candidate for lieutenant governor.
