Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chief Justice Returns To Hot Seat In The Latest Health Law Challenge
The Wall Street Journal: Chief Justice John Roberts In Hot Seat In Health-Law Case
The most uncomfortable seat at Wednesday’s Supreme Court argument on health-law insurance subsidies might be the one held by Chief Justice John Roberts. Both sides will be trying to sway his vote on the assumption the court is otherwise split 4-4 along ideological lines, as it was three years ago when it heard an earlier challenge to the law. (Bravin, 3/3)
The Associated Press: High Court Takes Up Major Fight Over Health Law Subsidies
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act failed to kill the law in an epic, election-year Supreme Court case in 2012. Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the court’s liberal justices and provided the crucial vote to uphold the law in the midst of Obama’s re-election campaign.Partisan and ideological divisions remain stark for a law that passed Congress in 2010 with no Republican votes. ... Of the judges who have ruled on lawsuits over the subsidies, Democratic appointees have sided with the administration and Republican appointees have been with the challengers. Roberts was the only justice to essentially cross party lines with his vote in 2012. His fellow conservatives on the court voted to strike down Obamacare in its entirety. (3/4)
