OPINION:
Judge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida did not say “Mr. Obama can continue to implement the law while the case winds its way through the appeals courts toward an eventual Supreme Court showdown,” as stated in the Feb. 1 article “Judge strikes down health care law” (Page 1).
What Judge Vinson did was grant a summary judgment: “Congress must operate within the bounds established by the Constitution. … Because the [individual] mandate [to purchase health insurance] is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void.”
Judge Vinson denied the motion for an injunction, but that shouldn’t be interpreted to mean implementation of the law can continue. After the act has been found unconstitutional and void, it can no longer be implemented.
ANDREA CAREW
Annandale, Va.
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