The SEC’s Story

Chairman Christopher Cox of the SEC testified before the House Financial Services Committee this week. CFO.com has an article on a mostly unnoticed part of his testimony where Chairman Cox discussed his participation in the SEC’s decision to ask the Solicitor General to support the investor plaintiffs in the Stoneridge (a.k.a. Charter Communications) case. The Solicitor General ultimately decided not to file the requested amicus brief.
Quote of note: “Cox’s vote was part of the majority in a 3-2 SEC vote in the so-called StoneRidge case. ‘It is my view that precedent matters,’ he said during a House Financial Services Committee hearing at which all five commissioners attended. ‘The SEC rules and policies should not be so effervescent as to change with one or two people on board.’ . . . In 2004 � a year before Cox joined the commission � the SEC weighed in favor of a broad definition of liability for companies indirectly involved in violations of the securities laws.”
Addition: In a related story, the WSJ Law Blog had an interesting post this week on the campaign by the American Association of Justice (i.e., the main trial lawyer association) to influence public opinion regarding the government’s position in the case.