Jodie Allen

In the following viewpoint, Jodie Allen asserts that the civil courts are filled with lawsuits filed by people who seek to establish absurd rights. According to Allen, these purported rights include the right to be protected from one’s own mistakes and the right to be protected from various problems and irritations of life. She contends that although not all of these suits are successful, the proliferation of such frivolous cases have led to increased costs for consumers and benefit only the trial lawyers. Allen is a senior writer for U.S. News & World Report. Her articles have also appeared in New Republic.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why does Allen jokingly blame Thomas Jefferson for the explosion of the tort industry?
2. What do...