U.S. Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act
The authoritative SCOTUS blog and other news outlets are reporting this morning that the U.S. Supreme Court, by a single vote, has rejected the arguments that the Affordable Care Act–the 2010 law reforming U.S. health insurance–is unconstitutional.
As of 7:45 a.m., Pacific Time, court’s website has yet to post the decision, because Justices are still reading the majority and dissenting opinions from the bench. But you can find it here. According to SCOTUS blog the majority decision was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, and the lead dissent by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Interestingly, Chief Justice Roberts’ deciding vote appears to have been built on his view that the individual mandate in the law–requiring people to buy health insurance or risk a tax penalty–is valid not under the Commerce Clause (in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution) but under Congress’s taxing authority. You can read National Public Radio’s story on the decision here. The New Yorker already has several takes on today’s big story here.
Tim Connor for CFJ