Supreme Court Rejects Request for Expedited Review of Obamacare
In early January, Democratic lawmakers and state officials filed
a motion asking the U.S. Supreme Court to expedite the review of the Texas v.
United States case regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s
(ACA) individual mandate. The case was sent back to the district court in December.
The motion requested the Supreme Court bypass the lower courts and review the
case during the court’s current session “because of the practical importance
of the questions presented for review and the pressing need for their swift resolution
by this Court.” The motion was opposed by the Trump administration who argued
that the case should be allowed to move through the appropriate channels, noting
that the ACA would remain intact and in effect for the foreseeable future.
On Jan. 21, the Supreme Court rejected the Democrats' request.
On Dec. 18, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision
invalidating the ACA individual mandate, but the court did not address the issue
of whether ACA itself remained viable without the individual mandate.
Stating that “the rule of law demands a careful, precise
explanation of whether the provisions of the ACA are affected by the unconstitutionality
of the individual mandate as it exists today,” the three-panel appeals court
returned the case to the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas,
leaving the lower court to decide if ACA can survive without the individual mandate.
The motion filed
in January was largely seen as an effort
by the Democrats to raise awareness again for voters that losing
certain aspects of ACA that are supported by the majority of Americans, such as
ensuring coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, is a possibility.
