{"id":4308,"date":"2006-01-05T23:12:24","date_gmt":"2006-01-06T03:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2006\/01\/05\/the-state-center-help-for-sta"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:54:16","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:54:16","slug":"the-state-center-help-for-state-trustbusters-nannies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2006\/01\/05\/the-state-center-help-for-state-trustbusters-nannies\/","title":{"rendered":"The State Center: help for state trustbusters, nannies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AEI’s AG Watch<\/FONT><\/A><\/EM> may have to change its <\/FONT>Least Favorite Website<\/FONT><\/A><\/DIV>
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selection.   It’s <\/FONT>nemesis<\/FONT><\/A>, Prof. <\/FONT>Jim Tierney<\/FONT><\/A>, has a new ally in the <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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fight to make<\/FONT> State Attorneys General stronger and better cham-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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pions <\/FONT>of consumers and competition.  It’s <\/FONT>The State Center<\/FONT><\/A>, whose<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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mission<\/FONT><\/A> is:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to enhance consumer welfare by supporting the fair, <\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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effective and vigorous enforcement of antitrust and<\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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consumer protection laws at the state level.<\/EM> <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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                                                                                 \"boxerSignNF\"<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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The State Center says it is “independent of any other organ-   <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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nization” and “bipartisan in outlook and approach.”  Its <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Executive Director is Stephen D. Houck, the former chief of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the New York AG <\/FONT>antitrust unit<\/FONT><\/A>.  (see “<\/FONT>New York’s Trustbusters<\/FONT><\/A>,”<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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NYSBA Journal, July 2004).   It’s 4-person Board of Directors<\/A> <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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is chaired by Wisconsin attorney <\/FONT>Kevin J. O’Connor<\/FONT><\/A>; and includes<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Prof. Tierney; Penn State law professor <\/FONT>Susan Beth <\/FONT><\/A><\/FONT>Farmer<\/A><\/FONT>; and <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Shirley Sarna, a former FTC attorney and ex-chief of the NYS AG <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Consumer Frauds Bureau, who now teaches at John Jay Law <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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School.   <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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State Center has been <\/FONT>busy<\/FONT><\/A> preparing <\/FONT>materials<\/FONT><\/A> for use by the <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Antitrust Modernization Committee, as it looks into the role of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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state AGs in antitrust enforcement.   It already<\/FONT> has an online <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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grant application<\/A> form, and travel stipends<\/A> for AAGs who want <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to attend relevant conferences. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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“$key small”  The Center is also setting up a <\/FONT>Panel of Economists<\/A>, in order <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to  <\/FONT>“have economists available for <\/FONT>consultation by AAGs confidentially <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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and expeditiously, at the State <\/FONT>Center’s expense, in the early stages <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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of an investigation.” <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"tiny Steve Houck would like your input: “If you have any<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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thoughts with respect to the structure, operation or <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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composition of the State Center Panel of Economists, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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don’t hesitate to share them with the Executive Director.”  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Note <\/EM>(especially to AEI’s federales<\/FONT><\/A> and <\/FONT>Prof. B<\/FONT><\/A>) :<\/FONT> We’re pretty <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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sure <\/FONT>Steve <\/FONT>means constructive<\/EM> thoughts.<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Confession<\/EM>:  Long ago, the Editor of this weblog was a young and <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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brash FTC antitrust lawyer, <\/FONT>who may have looked <\/FONT>down his nose at <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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state law enforcers.  However, as <\/FONT>we stated a year ago over at Crime <\/EM><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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& Feder<\/EM><\/FONT>alism<\/EM>, in How Federalism Saved Antitrust<\/A>, the states have <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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proven their <\/FONT>worth as protectors and preservers of our nation’s antitrust <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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regime.   As Lloyd Constantine told<\/FONT><\/A> the American Antitrust Institute <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in 2004:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“BoxerSignG” The Antitrust Laws are worth preserving and fighting <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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for. <\/FONT><\/EM>It is important for State and Federal antitrust agencies to <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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try to coordinate their efforts when possible – but it is also <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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essential that each sovereign guard the law and maintain <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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its prerogative to act, and if necessary to act boldly and <\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV>
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alone. . . . Federalism is not a suicide pact.”<\/FONT><\/EM><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Although I used the word “nannies” above to attract attention, I believe <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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that state<\/FONT> attorney generals, and thus The State Center, have an impor-<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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tant <\/FONT><\/FONT>role to play in the protection of consumers and competition.  That <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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is <\/FONT>especially true in an era when the interests of the average American <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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consumer is often given far too little consideration at the federal level.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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His Honor’s glasses
clouding over…
adjourned for snow<\/FONT>  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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     <\/FONT>barry george<\/A><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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city lights —<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the brightest are all<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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selling something<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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      john stevenson<\/A> – <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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            <\/FONT>Upstate Dim Sum<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A> (<\/FONT>2005\/I<\/FONT><\/A>) <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/DIV>
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<\/DIV>
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<\/DIV>
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the mountain moon               
gives the blossom thief
light<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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                         <\/FONT>Issa<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>, translated by <\/FONT>David G. Lanoue<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A><\/DIV>
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                                                                                                                                       \"55<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AEI’s AG Watch may have to change its Least Favorite Website selection.   It’s nemesis, Prof. Jim Tierney, has a new ally in the  fight to make State Attorneys General stronger and better cham- pions of consumers and competition.  It’s The State Center, whose mission is: to enhance consumer welfare by supporting the fair, effective and vigorous enforcement of antitrust and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2926],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pre-06-2006"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-17u","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12841,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4308\/revisions\/12841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}