Obama Healthcare Law: Supreme Court Divided

Obama Healthcare Law: Supreme Court Divided

Views on Obama's healthcare law which have long divided Democrats and Republicans across the country also played out in the courtroom.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court appeared closely divided during tense arguments over President Barack Obama's healthcare law, with conservative justices vigorously questioning the Obama administration's lawyer on whether Congress had the unquestionable power to require people to buy medical insurance.

During two long dramatic hours, justices suggested they would uphold this so-called individual mandate - to obtain insurance or pay a penalty, on the condition that they believed they were not giving Congress additional expansive powers over people's lives.

The justices were combative with the lawyers on both sides, at times throwing off hard-hitting questions about the limits of the federal government's power.

While conservative justices took aim at the insurance mandate, liberal justices defended it.

This one is far more intensified compared to last Monday’s opening arguments during which the justices appeared willing to conquer questions about whether tax law prevented them from considering the case for several years.

The court will have its third and final day of arguments on Wednesday in a case in which 26 of the 50 states are challenging the law that represents Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, two conservatives who could join the four liberal justices to uphold the law, pressed the Obama administration's lawyer, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, to identify where the limits would be on federal powers if people opposed to insurance were forced to buy coverage.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday March 28 2012, 4:37 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0