‘Obamacare’ Ruled Constitutional By Supreme Court

The Obama administration received a huge victory today when the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that the President's 2010 health care law did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

Surprisingly enough to all the pundits, was the fact that it was Chief Justice John Roberts who threw them a curve and sided with the more liberal justices. He also wrote the majority opinion.

The central constitutional issue was whether the individual mandate, which requires that all Americans must buy health insurance or face a penalty. The courts decision noted that  the mandate is not a valid exercise of Congress’ power to regulate commerce, but is a valid use of its taxing power.

“Simply put, Congress may tax and spend,” Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “This grant gives the federal government considerable influence even in areas where it cannot directly regulate.”

Republicans were angry that the court did not strike down some or most of the law, and have now vowed to renew their efforts to repeal it.

[MSNBC]