Tort reform in the United States has been a long standing issue. During his second campaign for re-election President Bush spoke frequently of tort reform and the dire consequences of hefty judgements.

In fact, President Bush even favoured a capping on non-economic malpractice damages at $250,000. Malpractice reform was discussed by President Obama in his recent speech on health care reform. There is no indication yet, whether Obama would also support a cap on damages.