5th Circuit Won’t Review Ruling That Tossed Obamacare Mandate
WASHINGTON – An appeals court in New Orleans rejected a request to review a December ruling invalidating a key provision of the Affordable Care Act.
In December, a three-judge panel in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Act’s requirement that Americans purchase health insurance — the so-called “individual mandate,” was unconstitutional.
The ruling set off a firestorm as Democrats and others said the ruling could unravel the Act, and leave millions without affordable health care.
But a full panel of all 14 5th Circuit judges was unmoved by these arguments, voting 8-6 along partisan lines, not to review the earlier decision.
Several states have already appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to decide whether it will take it up.
The High Court earlier this month rejected a request from the House and Democratic state attorneys general to expedite case, ensuring the case would not be heard before the 2020 presidential election.
