Federal gov't: Reform ruling 'outside of the mainstream'
 |
In response to Federal District Court Judge Roger Vinson's decision to find the PPACA unconstitutional in its entirety, the White House and Department of Justice have released statements via their respective blogs.
“This ruling is well out of the mainstream of judicial opinion,” wrote Stephanie Cutter on The White House Blog. Cutter pointed out that 12 judges have dismissed the challenges to the constitutionality of the PPACA and two--in the Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Virginia--have upheld the law.
“We don’t believe this kind of judicial activism will be upheld and we are confident that the Affordable Care Act will ultimately be declared constitutional by the courts,” the blog read.
The Department of Justice stated on its site that it intends to appeal Vinson's ruling, made in the Pensacola, Fla., Federal District Court, to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“We strongly disagree with the court’s ruling and continue to believe–as other federal courts have found–that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional,” the department stated.
“This is one of a number of cases pending before courts around the country, including several that the government has won in the district courts that are now before the courts of appeals. There is clear and well-established legal precedent that Congress acted within its constitutional authority in passing this law and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail on appeal.”