Marc Steinberg

1. What's Missing from the Court Coverage and What to Do about It

   Posted April 27, 2012 at 3:18pm by Marc Steinberg

   There's been no shortage of analysis about the Supreme Court arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. A lot of it has focused on the politics and tea-leaf reading.

2. A Big (Freaking) Deal

   Posted June 30, 2011 at 11:54am by Marc Steinberg

   Today’s decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is, as the Vice President might say, a big (freaking) deal. The court ruled that the individual responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. It’s the first time an appellate court has ruled on the issue, and it adds to the growing number of courts that have rejected challenges to the law. Four courts have now upheld the law on its merits (today’s decision goes alongside decisions in district courts in Michigan, western Virginia, and DC), and over a dozen other courts have rejected challenges for procedural reasons. As more courts rule, the two district court decisions that struck down the law (in eastern Virginia and Florida) are likely to look more and more like the radical outliers that they are.

3. Falwell's Friends Fail

   Posted December 2, 2010 at 9:45am by Marc Steinberg

   On Tuesday, a federal court in Lynchburg, Virginia dismissed a lawsuit brought by Liberty University and five individuals challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Among other claims, Liberty University—an institution founded by Jerry Falwell, and now led by his son, Jerry Falwell, Jr.—made the now familiar, if dubious, argument that the personal responsibility provision of the law is unconstitutional.

4. Hot air blowing in Florida

   Posted September 15, 2010 at 10:15am by Marc Steinberg

   It was hot yesterday in Pensacola. And the weather isn't helping. Yesterday morning, the United States District Court heard arguments on the motion to dismiss the Florida Attorney General's challenge to the Affordable Care Act.