Breaking with the court's other conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts announced the judgment that allows the law to go forward with its aim of covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans.
The justices rejected two of the administration's three arguments in support of the insurance requirement. But the court said the mandate can be construed as a tax.
"Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness."
- Chief Justice John Roberts
Lets here some feedback on this comment.... I think this is too far reaching. If congress wants to impose any type of monetary obligation on the American People, all they have to do is call it a tax and its ok??!! WTF
According to my understanding of the Constitution, the short answer is YES.
We as citizens have the power to vote in or out our legislators.
So we need to vote them out.
My thinking is more along these lines:
Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented.
"The act before us here exceeds federal power both in mandating the purchase of health insurance and in denying non-consenting states all Medicaid funding," the dissenters said in a joint statement.
The court found problems with the law's expansion of Medicaid, but even there said the expansion could proceed as long as the federal government does not threaten to withhold states' entire Medicaid allotment if they don't take part in the law's extension.
I have to read more about it but the ruling seems to have limited the power/use of interstate commerce clause. IMHO the ruling today is not all bad.
