Court Throws Out Lawsuit Against Affordable Care Act
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a challenge to President Obama’s signature health law on Thursday, deciding that the plaintiffs in the case didn’t have standing to contest the legislation.
The three-judge panel determined that a lawsuit by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and challenging the health care law’s individual mandate should be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. In a separate ruling, the majority determined that a separate lawsuit by Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University should not proceed as well. In previous hearings, judges had expressed skepticism that Virginia had the standing to challenge the mandate section of the bill given that it applied to individuals and not state institutions.
The Department of Justice praised the decision in a statement:
“We welcome the dismissal of these two challenges to the Affordable Care Act. We also continue to appreciate the rulings of other courts on the merits upholding the constitutionality of the Act. Throughout history, there have been similar challenges to other landmark legislation such as the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act, and all of those challenges failed as well. We will continue to vigorously defend the health care reform statute in any litigation challenging it, and we believe we will prevail.”
via Fourth Circuit Court Throws Out Lawsuit Against Affordable Care Act | TPMDC.
