Three days of hearings yield five take-aways
It is notoriously hard to predict how the Supreme Court will rule on a case based on justices’ questioning of attorneys. But with this week’s health-care arguments having wrapped up, here is what we know:
The Court Won’t Wait
The centerpiece of the case is the health-care law’s requirement that individuals purchase insurance or pay a penalty, but the requirement doesn’t begin until 2014. The justices showed little sympathy in Monday’s arguments for the suggestion that they must apply a 19th-century law that requires people to pay taxes before they can challenge them in court. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that the court ruled in a 1937 case that the government could waive its rights to delay cases.
Government Bore the Brunt
Watch the Swing Vote…
…And Possible Wild Card
It’s All About the Mandate
