In what will undoubtedly be considered one of the most controversial legal decisions in history, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act on Thursday with a 5-4 majority, validating President Obama's signature health care law.
Liberals and conservatives had waited anxiously this entire week before the ruling Thursday morning, playing a guessing game of will-they or won't-they strike down the law. Many court analysts had agreed conservative attorneys had performed better before justices than government lawyers during preceedings in March.
But on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in voting to uphold the bill—although in a twist, he argued the mandate was unconstitutional and said it was actually a tax.
Democratics applauded the news. In a press release issued Thursday morning, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), whose current congressional district includes Rosemont, said the decision "will have lasting benefits for Sacramento residents for years to come."
“This decision by the Supreme Court reaffirms what my Democratic colleagues and I already knew; the (Affordable Care Act) is constitutional and has already benefited millions of Americans,” said Matsui.
Republicans condemned the ruling. ABC News reported one congressman said the court's decision gave him "a sick feeling in my stomach to think what happened to liberty in this country."
Rosemont, what do you think about today's Supreme Court ruling? Are you glad the Affordable Care Act was upheld? Do you agree or disagree with the justices about the bill's constitutionality?
