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Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare as Unconstitutional

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A Texas judge ruled on Friday that the individual coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and, therefore, the rest of the law can no longer stand, NBC News reported.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth made his decision in a case brought by a group of right-leaning states led by Texas.

In his ruling, O’Connor clearly laid out why he believes that Obamacare “continues to be unsustainable.”

“The Court today finds the Individual Mandate is no longer fairly readable as an exercise of Congress’s Tax Power and continues to be unsustainable under Congress’s Interstate Commerce Power. The Court therefore finds the Individual Mandate, unmoored from a tax, is unconstitutional and GRANTS Plaintiffs’ claim for declaratory relief as to Count I of the Amended Complaint,” O’Connor wrote.

Although the decision is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, should O’Connor’s ruling stand, there will no longer be a penalty for those who don’t buy insurance, NBC reported.

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President Donald Trump, who has been a vocal critic of his predecessor’s namesake health insurance project, posted on Twitter after the news of the ruling broke.

“Wow, but not surprisingly, ObamaCare was just ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by a highly respected judge in Texas,” Trump tweeted. “Great news for America!”

Do you think the Supreme Court will overturn this ruling?

In an earlier tweet, the president urged congressional leaders to find a way to pass “GREAT health care” during their next term.

“As I predicted all along, Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster!” the president tweeted.

“Now Congress must pass a STRONG law that provides GREAT healthcare and protects pre-existing conditions. Mitch and Nancy, get it done!”

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While the president called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to come up with a good option for health care, both of these individuals are not as delighted to have to deal with this issue as the president has been.

Pelosi tweeted her response after the news broke, “Tonight’s absurd ruling exposes the monstrous endgame of the GOP’s all-out assault on people w/ pre-existing conditions & the ACA.

“When @HouseDemocrats take the gavel, the House will swiftly intervene in the appeals process to #ProtectOurCare!”

O’Connor’s ruling came just hours before the Dec. 15 deadline for Americans to obtain health insurance. Although the law has been ruled unconstitutional, it likely won’t have any immediate short-term effects.

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Savannah Pointer is a constitutional originalist whose main goal is to keep the wool from being pulled over your eyes. She believes that the liberal agenda will always depend on Americans being uneducated and easy to manipulate. Her mission is to present the news in a straightforward yet engaging manner.
Savannah Pointer is a constitutional originalist whose professional career has been focused on bringing accuracy and integrity to her readers. She believes that the liberal agenda functions best in a shroud of half truths and misdirection, and depends on the American people being uneducated.

Savannah believes that it is the job of journalists to make sure the facts are the focus of every news story, and that answering the questions readers have, before they have them, is what will educate those whose voting decisions shape the future of this country.

Savannah believes that we must stay as informed as possible because when it comes to Washington "this is our circus, and those are our monkeys."
Birthplace
Houston, Texas
Location
East Texas
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics




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