Yesterday, a District Court judge in Florida ruled that a lawsuit filed by 20 states and other plaintiffs can proceed. The development represents decidedly mixed news for the Obama administration and supporters of the health care law. The good news is that the judge — Reagan appointee Roger Vinson — threw out four of the plaintiffs’ six complaints. The bad news is that he will hear the weightiest of their contentions — that the individual mandate exceeds Congress’ power to regulate under the Commerce Clause. And according to one of the foremost experts on the health care lawsuits, the ruling indicates that the judge is sympathetic to the plaintiffs.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=119795