No one else in the Federal judiciary has handled so many tobacco cases for so long.

But the cities face hurdles that did not exist in the tobacco cases.

Department officials portray the tobacco cases as an isolated problem.

"None of us is going to retire as a result of the tobacco case," he said.

Lead paint cases face some legal hurdles the tobacco cases did not.

There's never been a tobacco case on the Coast before.

It was no ordinary tobacco case, and everyone in the room knew it.

In these tobacco cases, however, the lawyers have a reasonable argument.

Roughly 20 percent of them work on tobacco cases.

Lawyers handling tobacco cases will not give interviews or even pose for photographs.