irishspirit
13th December 2010, 17:29
A federal judge in Virginia ruled the healthcare reform law’s provision requiring Americans to buy insurance in unconstitutional, marking the Obama administration’s first major defeat in defense of the new law.
U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson only struck down the individual mandate and “directly dependent provisions” while upholding the rest of the reform law. The decision marks the first major step in a lawsuit destined for the Supreme Court.
Legal observers expected Hudson, a President George W. Bush appointee, to rule against the Obama administration in the lawsuit filed by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R).
The decision comes at the beginning of an eventful week for influential healthcare reform challenges. A district court in Florida is scheduled to hear oral arguments Thursday on a 21-state lawsuit that also challenges the law’s individual mandate. Both the Virginia and Florida cases are expected to wind up in the Supreme Court.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/133357-virginia-ruling-expected-to-set-stage-for-supreme-court-battle
U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson only struck down the individual mandate and “directly dependent provisions” while upholding the rest of the reform law. The decision marks the first major step in a lawsuit destined for the Supreme Court.
Legal observers expected Hudson, a President George W. Bush appointee, to rule against the Obama administration in the lawsuit filed by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R).
The decision comes at the beginning of an eventful week for influential healthcare reform challenges. A district court in Florida is scheduled to hear oral arguments Thursday on a 21-state lawsuit that also challenges the law’s individual mandate. Both the Virginia and Florida cases are expected to wind up in the Supreme Court.
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/133357-virginia-ruling-expected-to-set-stage-for-supreme-court-battle