Steve Moore of the WSJ had a terrific piece over the weekend on the nexus between tort reform and economic growth in Mississippi under Governor Haley Barbour.

As Moore points out, prior to Gov. Barbour’s election, Mississippi was hemorrhaging jobs and specializing in lottery-sized jury verdicts. Since enacting common sense legal reforms – including reasonable caps on non-economic damages and abolishing unsavory practices like venue shopping – the state has attracted billions in investment (and jobs) from the likes of Federal Express and Toyota.

Will more states realize the economic price of leaving their legal systems hostage to the trial bar?