The legal wrangling between Henderson and city officials, which has been played out in newspaper headlines and the courts, seems an appropriate place to focus this annual look at democracy in America surrounding national Law Week, April 28 to May 5, hosted each year by the San Diego County Bar Association and Lawyer Referral and Information Service. The intention to provide checks and balances goes back to the founding of the government. In the view of San Diego City Attorney Casey Gwinn, a danger arises when someone uses the judicial process for personal reasons. He's a flaming example of the misuse of the legal system to amuse himself. In either case, citizens win.
Every single person has a right to appeal to the system of laws.
There is no more fundamental aspect of that right than a citizen suing its own government. No city in America that has built a stadium or ballpark has had more than one lawsuit. San Diego stands alone. We are unique. Financially Henderson-initiated litigation has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, Gwinn says.