Johnson & Johnson has parted ways with the American Legislative Exchange Council, the first New Jersey company to do so following public pressure from liberal groups across the country. ALEC is a Washington-based conservative nonprofit that writes and distributes pro-business model bills for use in the states. Its members are nearly 2,000 state lawmakers and close to 300 think tanks and corporations, which provide most of its funding. Liberal groups since April have criticized ALEC’s role promoting controversial bills toughening voter identification requirements — which some say disenfranchise the poor and the elderly — and "Stand Your Ground" laws that allow more instances of deadly force in self-defense, such as the Florida law at the center of the Trayvon Martin shooting case.
