# SCOTUS's decision on The Health Care Law 6/28/12 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 27, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499 "2012-06-27T19:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/61 "2012-06-28T14:16:12Z")
And the Supreme Court website is just returning server errors. OVERLOADED in the extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/62 "2012-06-28T14:16:16Z")
Medicaid expansion struck down. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/63 "2012-06-28T14:16:20Z")
CNN has Mandate Struck Down and High court finds measure unconstitutional on their home page…wtf? -XT ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/64 "2012-06-28T14:16:26Z")
Wow wildly varying reports. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/65 "2012-06-28T14:16:50Z")
The Chief was the deciding vote to save the ACA, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/66 "2012-06-28T14:17:36Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Is it typical to decide on a point other than that discussed? I never really covered the court. No, but this was the government’s second argument. The Court _can_ consider arguments not raised, though (much to my surprise following Heller). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/67 "2012-06-28T14:17:55Z")
> [@XT](#): > > CNN has Mandate Struck Down and High court finds measure unconstitutional on their home page…wtf? > > -XT Dewey defeats Truman. CNN looks like dumbasses. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/68 "2012-06-28T14:18:03Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The Chief was the deciding vote to save the ACA, apparently. Kennedy was on the other side? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/69 "2012-06-28T14:19:21Z")
From **ScotusBlog** : > [@](#): > > Amy Howe: The money quote from the section on the mandate: Our precedent demonstrates that Congress had the power to impose the exaction in Section 5000A under the taxing power, and that Section 5000A need not be read to do more than impose a tax. This is sufficient to sustain it. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/70 "2012-06-28T14:19:22Z")
Did NOT see that coming. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/71 "2012-06-28T14:19:52Z")
That’s what SCOTUSBlog is saying, it seems. Their latest quote from the mandate portion of the decision: > [@](#): > > Our precedent demonstrates that Congress had the power to impose the exaction in Section 5000A under the taxing power, and that Section 5000A need not be read to do more than impose a tax. This is sufficient to sustain it. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/72 "2012-06-28T14:19:53Z")
lol…now CNN has: Correction: The Supreme Court backs all parts of President Obama’s signature health care law. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/73 "2012-06-28T14:20:01Z")
NEW CNN HEADLINE: > [@](#): > > Correction: The Supreme Court backs all parts of President Obama’s signature health care law. What the hell are they smoking? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/74 "2012-06-28T14:20:15Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Dewey defeats Truman. CNN looks like dumbasses. NYT won’t though. (headline / story on tomorrow’s front page) > [@Czarcasm](#): > > NEW CNN HEADLINE: What the hell are they smoking? Apparently, the SCOTUS brief. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/75 "2012-06-28T14:20:56Z")
WaPo just said (paraphrased), “BREAKING: SUPREME COURT RULES IN HEALTH CARE CASE” Looks like they wanted to get their ducks in a row. Last year at some point I posted around here about how the mandate just looked to me like a tax, and somebody sneered at me about how I can’t just call something by a different name and presto it’s constitutional. I kind of want to find that post, so I can say, “Neener neener!” ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/76 "2012-06-28T14:21:38Z")
And yeah, 5-4 with the Chief siding with the left against Kennedy, Scalia, Alito, and Thomas. Interesting days, indeed… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/77 "2012-06-28T14:21:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > NEW CNN HEADLINE: What the hell are they smoking? They must have tried to scoop everyone by posting that as soon as they saw that the IM is not constitutional under the commerce clause, forgetting to read the next sentence (or wherever the tax idea waS). ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/78 "2012-06-28T14:21:53Z")
Here’s what I’ve got from the newswires: > [@](#): > > Reuters reporting Roberts, joined by two justices, says medicaid expansion violates constitution > > Headlines that Justices reject a group of 26 states challenge to Health-Care Law Expansion > > Reuters reporting Chief Justice Roberts says mandate may be upheld as within congress’ taxing power > > Reuters reporting that Chief justice Roberts says mandate is not a valid exercise of congress’ power under commerce clause and necessary and proper clause > > Reuters reporting 4 justices dissent, saying the patient protection and affordable care act goes beyond congressional powers under constitution > Dissenting justices include Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/79 "2012-06-28T14:22:52Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > And yeah, 5-4 with the Chief siding with the left against Kennedy, Scalia, Alito, and Thomas. > > Interesting days, indeed… Wow, that’s more interesting than the ruling itself! ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499/80 "2012-06-28T14:23:41Z")
Sounds like on Medicaid expansion that states can refuse the expansion funds and conditions, and if they do the Feds must still give them their current funding with existing rules. It will be interesting to see what states, if any, take them up on this offer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotuss-decision-on-the-health-care-law-6-28-12/626499.md?page=5)