Fla. Judge: Obamacare Is Unconstitutional

Federal court sides with 26 states
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 31, 2011 2:59 PM CST
Fla. Judge: Obamacare Is Unconstitutional
President Barack Obama addresses the Families USA 16th Annual Health Action Conference, in Washington, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A federal judge in Florida says the Obama administration's health overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 states that had sued to block it. US District Judge Roger Vinson today accepted without trial the states' argument that the new law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties.

Attorneys for the administration had argued that the states did not have standing to challenge the law and that the case should be dismissed. The case is likely to go to the US Supreme Court. Two other federal judges have upheld the insurance requirement, but a federal judge in Virginia also ruled the insurance requirement unconstitutional. Click for Vinson's earlier "Alice in Wonderland" ruling
(More health care stories.)

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