Supreme Court Declines to Fast-Track ObamaCare Review

Trump, red states had asked the high court to decline Democrats' request, and it did
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 21, 2020 10:05 AM CST
Supreme Court Declines to Fast-Track ObamaCare Review
In this Oct. 10, 2017, file photo, the Supreme Court in Washington is seen at sunset.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to consider a fast-track review of a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, making it highly unlikely that the justices would decide the case before the 2020 election, the AP reports. The court denied a request by 20 mainly Democratic states and the Democratic-led House of Representatives to decide quickly on a lower-court ruling that declared part of the statute unconstitutional and cast a cloud over the rest. Defenders of the Affordable Care Act argued that the issues raised by the case are too important to let the litigation drag on for months or years in lower courts, and that the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans erred when it struck down the health law's now toothless requirement that Americans have health insurance.

The justices didn't comment on their order. They'll consider the appeal on their normal timetable and could decide in the coming months whether to take up the case. ObamaCare stands as long as the appeals are ongoing, as Politico explained last week when it reported that President Trump and a number of Republican-led states had asked the high court to turn down the Democrats' fast-track request. The Wall Street Journal says it's "unlikely" the court will take up the case during its current term, "likely leaving any court consideration of the ACA until the fall at the earliest," while the Washington Post guesses a SCOTUS review of the law won't take place until "far into the future."

(More ObamaCare stories.)

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