Up until today, every court decision either upholding or striking down health-care reform’s individual mandate the government’s requirement that you buy health insurance was decided along party lines. That is, while judges are supposed to be biased and all that nonsense, every judge appointed by a Republican president has declared the mandate unconstitutional, while every judge appointed by a Democratic president felt the mandate fell within Congress’s powers to regulate interstate commerce. And then:
A federal appeals court in Cincinnati on Wednesday upheld the health-care law passed by Congress last year, saying the law’s requirement for most Americans to carry insurance or pay a penalty is constitutional.
The dissenting judge was a Ronald Reagan appointee, but an appointee of George W. Bush concurred with court’s opinion. As Think Progress notes, he’s no RINO:
Sutton’s inclusion in the Obama-friendly decision should help to blunt conservative criticism of the opinion. Of course, all of these lower-court rulings are merely foreplay leading up to the inevitable courtgasm: a Supreme Court hearing.
Appeals Court in Ohio Upholds Health Law [WSJ]
George W. Bush-Appointed States’ Rights Crusader Rejects Lawsuit Challenging Affordable Care Act [Think Progress]
