Let's extend upholding Arizona... How long before Berkeley or San Francisco decides that smokers violate the clean air act, and therefore are subject to arrest and indefinite detainment until the EPA picks them up?
Or decides to arrest the CEO of a power plant for failing to use a particular biofuel derived from switch grass?
I've yet to see a Roberts ruling that doesn't take into account the long term viewpoint of protecting the constitution. Does Congress have the power to tax 100% of your earnings? Yes. It does. It might not like your reaction to it, but it sure has that power right now. And I say right now, as I don't expect that absolute power of taxation to be as long lived as liberals in Congress imagine it will live.
But most significant, we've finally got a ruling limiting the commerce clause, and a ruling explicitly stating that Congress can not compel participation in commerce. It can regulate commerce, but it can't make you party to it.
That's a departure from really bad rulings of the past, and I sincerely believe that many a filing will be quoting this ruling as a limitation to the Commerce Clause. Expect a lot of revisits of past opinions after this, and a few liberals on the court having egg on their face for having voted to limit federal powers in their all consuming lust to expand them.
I see the Arizona ruling as being perfectly consistent with this unwinding of infinite federal powers. And, no, I'm not trying to turn bat urine into a golden ray of light where all around is dark. These are rulings that will last for generations and are consistent with a constitutionalist viewpoint. Alito, Thomas and Scalia probably overreached in their dissents, but I very much appreciate Robert's viewpoint that the SCOTUS is not the third house of Congress and a restoration of the balance of powers.
Disagree with you, but nice Python reference.
Curious why you didn't mention Kennedy, the author of the dissent.
That aside, Roberts and his liberal co-horts wrote new law into the ACA by calling a fine a tax.