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After winning the World Series in 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals stumbled for four seasons before righting the ship and recapturing the crown this past season. A similar pattern has occurred across the river from Busch Stadium, though unfortunately this news from the metro-east will provoke hand wringing. not hand clapping.

The year 2006 was the last time Madison and St. Clair counties were infamously ranked among the nation’s worst “judicial hellholes.” But after four years of relative improvements in the fairness of the judicial systems, the counties have landed back on the list of the nation’s worst “judicial hellholes” in the latest annual rankings by the American Tort Reform Foundation.

Madison and St. Clair counties were jointly ranked as the nation’s fifth worst “judicial hellhole.” ATRF defines a “judicial hellhole” as “a place where judges systematically apply laws and court procedures in an unfair and unbalanced manner.”

We saw a good example of this unfairness and imbalance earlier this month. The asbestos trial docket for Madison County for 2013 was set on Dec. 1 by Judge Barbara Crowder, and she awarded a whopping 82 percent of those future trial slots to three personal injury lawyer firms. On Dec. 5 and 6, those three firms gave Crowder’s campaign committee a total of $30,000.

It’s bad enough that this looks like a quid pro quo, but it’s just as bad that Crowder reserved all those 2013 trial slots for cases that haven’t even been filed.

This kind of questionable behavior encourages personal injury lawyers to file lawsuits in Madison County — even lawsuits that have nothing to do with the metro-east. The “judicial hellholes” report found that only about one in 10 of Madison County’s asbestos cases have any connection to the area, with most plaintiffs living in other states.

Being ranked as one of the worst places in the country for legal fairness may encourage personal injury lawyers to flock here, but it will just as likely keep new employers away. Businesses expand or relocate in places where the legal system is considered fair and balanced, so returning to “judicial hellhole” status will undoubtedly impede job growth efforts at a time when new jobs are desperately needed.

After the lawyers’ campaign contributions to Crowder were revealed, she was removed from overseeing the asbestos docket. Very soon, voters will have a chance to render their own verdicts on Madison and St. Clair County judges who have allowed metro-east courts to relapse into “judicial hellholes.”

Judges as well as judicial candidates on the ballot in 2012 will be pressed to spell out what they will do to strengthen reforms and restore fairness to metro-east courts. Good judges matter, and making the metro-east a more attractive place for job growth depends on a fair judiciary.

Down-ballot judicial elections often get overlooked, but climbing back out of the “judicial hellhole” and bringing jobs and opportunities back to the metro-east depends on voters placing a high priority on these elections.

Though we may all wish for a World Series repeat, let’s hope a “judicial hellholes” repeat is not in the cards.

Travis Akin is executive director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW), a grass-roots watchdog group dedicated to educating the public about the widespread costs of lawsuit abuse.

Read More: Ben Francisco (RF – PHI), Cole Hamels (P – PHI), Ryan Madson (P – PHI), Brad Lidge (P – PHI), Roy Oswalt (P – PHI), Edwin Jackson (P – STL), Ryan Theriot (SS – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Jason Motte (P – STL), Jaime Garcia (P – STL), Fernando Salas (P – STL), Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals

Jaime Garcia matched Cole Hamels for six scoreless innings until Ben Francisco’s three-run pinch-hit home run staked the Phillies to a lead and the Cardinals’ ninth-inning rally was too-little, too-late Tuesday afternoon. The Redbirds scattered 12 hits and wasted a three-double night from Albert Pujols—not to mention a four-hit day from platoon second baseman Ryan Theriot—managing just two runs from four hits against Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson in the eighth and ninth innings. 

Garcia was having one of his most economical outings of the season until the home run broke things up—he spread 100 pitches across seven innings, while the Cardinals got Hamels to throw 117 in six scoreless. Fernando Salas and Jason Motte each threw a scoreless inning in the loss.

The Cardinals will attempt to stave off elimination Wednesday at 5:00 CDT when Edwin Jackson toes the mound against Roy Oswalt, the Phillies’ ersatz fourth starter. New Busch Stadium will get its second look at an elimination game—the first since they were swept in the 2009 NLDS, and got a single game on the field christened by the 2006 World Series championships. 

Read More: Cliff Lee (P – PHI), Ryan Theriot (SS – STL), Rafael Furcal (SS – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Chris Carpenter (P – STL), Jason Motte (P – STL), Jon Jay (CF – STL), Fernando Salas (P – STL), Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals won their first postseason game since 2006 Sunday night, rallying back from a four-run deficit to stun Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 in the second game of their 2011 NLDS matchup. After Chris Carpenter, starting on three days’ rest, fell apart immediately things looked grim, but Fernando Salas and the Cardinals’ bullpen combined to throw six scoreless innings to hold Philadelphia at four runs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ offense, tops in the National League, went to work. 

Ryan Theriot and Jon Jay were the surprise heroes, with Jay driving in two runs from the eighth spot in the lineup and Theriot doubling twice ahead of him. Albert Pujols, still limping, went 2-5 with two singles and an RBI, and Rafael Furcal went 2-5 with a triple. 

For the Phillies the whole thing was eerily similar to what they’d pulled off against the Cardinals just the night before. After putting up three first-inning runs against the Cardinals’ ace, their offense shut down, reaching base just once against a collection of six Cardinals relief pitchers, including Jason Motte, who went an inning and a third for his first postseason save. After walking three times against Chris Carpenter they didn’t manage another all night.  

The box score is available at the Cardinals’ very celebratory official website. Game three of the series hits Busch Stadium on Tuesday.