Congress can "act" when both houses are controlled by the same party. Evidence: the "Class Action Fairness Act," which moves most complex class action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts. State courts are considered "more friendly" to plaintiffs.

Introduced 25 Jan 2005 in the Senate (S.5) and passed on Th 10 Feb 2005, in a 72-26 roll call vote. Introduced on Tu 15 Feb 2005 (H.RES.96) in the House and passed Th 17 Feb 2005 in a 279-149 roll call vote. Signed on Fri 18 Feb 2005 by President Bush.

There hasn't been a lot of analysis - but Find Law, not surprisingly, takes a stab at it. " "Republicans 1, Lawyers 0", according to the NY Post, which supported the bill.

The nation's largest employment and labor law firm has advised clients that the law is focsed on "consumer-oriented lawsuits against business, such as product liability or environmental protection claims."

Most news stories reported the event (passage, signing) but provided little details (it was a Friday, after all). One exception: Globe and Mail (Canada).