Mississippi remains worst legal jurisdiction in U.S.: Chamber

In a survey of businesses, Mississippi continues to rank as the worst jurisdiction in terms of perceived legal fairness, according to the annual study of state liability systems published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform.The ILR study does suggest improvement may be in the works in Mississippi, however, with 96% of respondents saying last year’s legal reform legislation should produce a moderate to major improvement in the state’s litigation environment.Other states ranked among the worst again this year include Illinois, West Virginia and Florida. Illinois’ Madison County is viewed as “one of the worst jackpot jurisdictions” in the U.S., the Chamber says.On the other end of the spectrum, Delaware once again ranks as the most balanced legal system.The Chamber publishes the survey to highlight the desire of businesses to locate in jurisdictions with fair legal environments and thus push for legal reform in the worst states. “We applaud states like Mississippi and Texas that have done the right thing, and we call upon Illinois, West Virginia and Florida to pass reforms to their state’s legal system and attract business investment,” says Chamber president Thomas J. Donohue.