EXography: Feds paying record amounts in lawsuits

A record $2.9 billion was paid last year by the federal government to parties that sued it, and Washington is on pace to surpass that amount again this year, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of court records.

During President George W. Bush’s administration, total annual payouts ranged from only $649 million to $1.06 billion. The judgments are paid out when contractors or citizens successfully argue in court that an agency erred or violated the law.