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The NAM is standing up for manufacturers in courtrooms nationwide. Funded by voluntary contributions from NAM members, the NAM Legal Center is the leading voice for manufacturers in the courts, promoting manufacturing interests by reining in regulatory overreach, protecting vital manufacturing priorities and litigating on behalf of manufacturers across the United States.

As part of that work, the Legal Center brings the powerful voice of manufacturing into ongoing cases and helps shape the legal environment for the entire sector. That’s where the Legal Center’s Amicus Program comes in.

What it does: The Legal Center’s Amicus Program is focused on supporting NAM members in their litigation—whether they are pushing back against harmful rules that are impacting their operations or defending themselves in lawsuits with broader implications for the manufacturing sector.

The wins: The Amicus Program has achieved a series of critical wins for manufacturers in recent months, including the following:

• Save Jobs USA v. DHS: The Legal Center helped turn back an anti-immigration challenge in the District of Columbia, thus preserving the ability of H-4 visa-holders to work in the U.S. The victory protected manufacturing employees and their families, along with employers and the health of the overall economy.
• Brown v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation: The Legal Center successfully pushed back against an effort to invent a new type of legal claim for so-called “medical monitoring” that would have forced the company to compensate individuals with no current injuries. The victory protected manufacturers from unpredictable and potentially unbounded liability in New Hampshire and avoided setting a dangerous precedent that other states might follow.
• PhRMA v. Williams: The Legal Center effectively blocked an attempt by the state of Minnesota to force manufacturers to provide their products for free in a lawsuit against an insulin manufacturer. By helping defeat this effort, the NAM helped protect property rights for businesses in every sector.
• CRA v. City of Berkeley: The Legal Center stood with manufacturers in Berkeley, California, who faced a backdoor ban on gas appliances in new construction. The victory averted a regulatory patchwork and safeguarded appliance manufacturers.

The last word: “The breadth of the subject matter shows how expansive and effective the Legal Center is,” said Michael Tilghman of the NAM Legal Center. “Our national Amicus Program is addressing issues before federal and state courts ranging from government overreach to high-skilled immigration and product liability—and manufacturers can be confident that we have their backs.”

Contact us: As a member-driven program, the Legal Center pursues cases that are important to NAM members, whether they’re a party in the case or the case will have an important impact on manufacturing. To share potential opportunities for our involvement, email Tilghman at [email protected].