U.S. House Republicans sign brief against Affordable Care Act in SCOTUS case
Reps. Chip Cravaack, Michele Bachmann and John Kline lent their names to a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday arguing that the Supreme Court should rule the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional.
The brief was filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian legal outfit founded by televangelist Pat Robertson.
The amicus brief asks the high court to take on a case previously ruled on in Florida that said the new federal health plan’s individual mandate was unconstitutional. the ACLJ called the issue one of “national importance.”
The ACLJ said that the conservative Florida judge that ruled the individual mandate unconstitutional got that part correct, but the judge shouldn’t have singled the individual mandate out. It erred when it didn’t rule the entire new health plan unconstitutional.
“Even though the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit correctly held that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, it wrongly severed only the individual mandate from the ACA,” the ACLJ wrote.”The individual mandate, by the Federal Government’s own admission, is the essential component of the ACA. Should this Court also rule the individual mandate unconstitutional, it should decide to what extent (if any) the individual mandate can be severed from the rest of the ACA.”
The ACLJ was created by Robertson as a response to the American Civil Liberties Union which Robertson said is “hostile to traditional American values.”
The group has been at the heart of many controversial cases including a successful effort in Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin School District to drive a transgender teacher out of her job. Though the group maintains that it defends religious liberties, the organization has also assisted local communities in attempting to stop the construction of Muslim mosques.
Jay Sekulow, leader of the ACLJ has made a lot of money in his activism. The Associated Press reports that he and his family have taken in more than $33 million in the last decade.
Bachmann, Kline and Cravaack are signers of the court document along with 102 other Republicans. Rep. Erik Paulsen was the only Republican member of Minnesota’s delegation to decline to sign on.
Here’s the full list:
Paul Broun, Robert Aderholt, Todd Akin, Rodney Alexander, Steve Austria, Michele Bachmann, Spencer Bachus, Joe Barton, Rob Bishop, Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn, Larry Bucshon, Michael Burgess, Dan Burton, Francisco “Quico” Canseco, Eric Cantor, Steve Chabot, Howard Coble, Mike Coffman, Tom Cole, Mike Conaway, Chip Cravaack, Geoff Davis, Scott DesJarlais, Jeff Duncan, Blake Farenthold, Stephen Fincher, Chuck Fleischmann, John Fleming, Bill Flores, Randy Forbes, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Cory Gardner, Scott Garrett, Bob Gibbs, Phil Gingrey, Louie Gohmert, Bob Goodlatte, Tom Graves, Tim Griffin, Michael Grimm, Ralph Hall, Gregg Harper, Andy Harris, Vicky Hartzler, Jeb Hensarling, Wally Herger, Tim Huelskamp, Bill Huizenga, Randy Hultgren, Lynn Jenkins, Bill Johnson, Walter Jones, Jim Jordan, Mike Kelly, Steve King, Adam Kinzinger, John Kline, Doug Lamborn, Jeff Landry, James Lankford, Robert Latta, Billy Long, Cynthia Lummis, Connie Mack, Donald Manzullo, Kenny Marchant, Kevin McCarthy, Michael McCaul, Tom McClintock, Thaddeus McCotter, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Gary Miller, Jeff Miller, Randy Neugebauer, Alan Nunnelee, Pete Olson, Ron Paul, Steve Pearce, Mike Pence, Joe Pitts, Ted Poe, Mike Pompeo, Bill Posey, Tom Price, Ben Quayle, Reid Ribble, Scott Rigell, Phil Roe, Todd Rokita, Dennis Ross, Ed Royce, Steve Scalise, Jean Schmidt, Adrian Smith, Lamar Smith, Marlin Stutzman, Lee Terry, Tim Walberg, Joe Walsh, Daniel Webster, Lynn Westmoreland, Joe Wilson, and Don Young.
