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King v. Burwell: An Embarrassing Decision [SCOTUS rewrites Obamacare instead of Congress]
National Review ^ | 06/25/2015 | David French

Posted on 06/25/2015 2:53:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

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To: SeekAndFind

This is truly a disasteer for our country and the rule of law. With this decision as precedent, the white hut can alter any existing law to say what he wants it to say and the legislature be damned. This is really Alice in Wonderland stuff.


21 posted on 06/25/2015 4:01:51 PM PDT by Lion Den Dan
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To: redfreedom

What kind of stupid statement is that? Is Roberts retarded?

The LAW said STATE exchanges and not FEDERAL. That is how CONGRESS WROTE IT.


22 posted on 06/25/2015 4:06:15 PM PDT by Fledermaus (NO RINO 2016 or I stay home. Shove it FR RINO lovers.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Maybe its time to put a fine point on it. Begin to challenge other laws in the Federal courts by saying the plain language of the law really sans something different, based upon Robert’s decision. And I mean clog them courts.


23 posted on 06/25/2015 4:12:51 PM PDT by Tench_Coxe (For every Allende, there is a Pinochet)
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To: Tench_Coxe

Why even bother with the formality of going to court?

Laws are meaningless, per the US Supreme Court—Ergo, We the People are neither governed by, nor accountable to, anything now.

Let anarchy reign.


24 posted on 06/25/2015 4:45:43 PM PDT by Arm_Bears (Biology is biology. Everything else is imagination.)
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To: SeekAndFind

When I heard this sad news today, I was dumbfounded. How could such a travesty be?

When I found this thread I knew it was time to make a sorry admission and issue an apology to all at FR. Back when everyone was jumping on Roberts, I preferred to assume he had pulled some nifty trick on the liberals by making nobamacare easier to kill, particularly with the Origination Clause by making it a tax.

Boy, was I wrong. There was no need to blackmail him with his adopted kids, Roberts clearly is a new World Order guy and its hard to argue W did not know this when he tapped him for SCOTUS.

Later listening to Rush, he mentioned an article that might give some brightness in our dark day about how the libs are stepping in it big time. I will find it and do a link.

I will now go stand in the corner......


25 posted on 06/25/2015 4:52:21 PM PDT by X-spurt (CRUZ missile - armed and ready.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I may send Roberts a beginning reader, further asking him why in the world did he spend money for a law degree when he never learned to read or write? Some group is blackmailing him.


26 posted on 06/25/2015 5:09:45 PM PDT by calico_thompson
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To: SeekAndFind

Obvious that Roberts is either corrupt or being blackmailed. I suspect corruption. I have absolutely no hope that this court will do the right thing on marriage (or any other issue that Massah Obola orders him to rule on).


27 posted on 06/25/2015 5:19:59 PM PDT by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite it's unfashionability)
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To: X-spurt

You are all in for Cruz so all is forgiven.


28 posted on 06/25/2015 5:23:45 PM PDT by Romans Nine
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To: montanajoe
Roberts made it clear in the last decision that it is up to Congress to change the law if they want to change it.

I am not sure I understand the logic of this. Congress was not a party in this case. The plaintiffs were individuals who wanted the law to be enforced as enacted, not to be changed at the whim of the executive. The chief justice, in this case as in the first case, took the position that a workable national health care system was of such importance that the court was justified in rewriting the law through interpretation.

I am not generally a fan of this congress but to put the onus on them to enact a 2nd law specifying that they really meant what they said in the first law is ridiculous. Even if the law as enacted did not conform with the intent of some members of congress or even if there was a drafting error, they had the power and responsibility to get it correct before enacting it into law. The proper course would have been to say that if Congress wanted to have the provisions apply in all states they could enact a law specifying such, not the other way around.

Given the history of this law, when it still does not work even after two Supreme Court rescue missions, what happens. Does the executive and court rewrite it again or do they finally buck it back to the congress.

29 posted on 06/25/2015 6:06:30 PM PDT by etcb
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To: calico_thompson

“I may send Roberts a beginning reader, further asking him why in the world did he spend money for a law degree when he never learned to read or write? Some group is blackmailing him.”

I really can’t say whether or not he is being pressured, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t. John Roberts doesn’t strike me as an honorable man terribly concerned with the limits of the law or really any kind of Constitutional structure. If he cares about anything at all legally speaking its probably the opinion of his ivy league indoctrinated peers.

Given how little he cares for the history or structure of our republic Reading is not his problem. Foresight is but in his case he is only concerned with his own lifetime.


30 posted on 06/25/2015 6:07:08 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: SeekAndFind

SCOTUS=Newspeak


31 posted on 06/25/2015 6:24:59 PM PDT by tophat9000 (SCOTUS=Newspeak)
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To: SeekAndFind

Roberts has been compromised and needs to be removed from the bench


32 posted on 06/25/2015 6:30:15 PM PDT by Joshua (Jimmy is the reason for this)
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To: Romans Nine

Thanks.

That article heard about on Rush is: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420211/left-activist-peak-kevin-d-williamson?target=author&tid=903320

The writer hits the liberal nail on its head, but stops short of predicting when the pendulum’s leftward swing may end.

I know if Cruz can get in he will make it #1 priority to reverse as much nobama shite as fast as possible.


33 posted on 06/25/2015 8:16:21 PM PDT by X-spurt (CRUZ missile - armed and ready.)
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To: etcb
In the conclusion of the opinion Roberts wrote:

In a democracy, the power to make the law rests with those chosen by the people. Our role is more confined—“to say what the law is.” Marbury v. Madison, 1 Cranch 137, 177 (1803). That is easier in some cases than in others. But in every case we must respect the role of the Legislature, and take care not to undo what it has done. A fair reading of legislation demands a fair understanding of the legislative plan. Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. If at all possible, we must interpret the Act in a way that is consistent with the former, and avoids the latter. Section 36B can fairly be read consistent with what we see as Congress’s plan, and that is the reading we adopt.

This is a Conservative Judge's view of their role e.g. “to respect the role of the legislature and not undo what they have done.”

I have listened to Conservatives scream for more than 40 years that they want Judicial restraint and they don't want Judge made law. They get a CJ deferring to the legislature and they scream if the decision doesn't go their way.

I've come to the conclusion that Conservatives and Liberals both want a Court that only agrees with their political point of view.....

34 posted on 06/25/2015 9:09:08 PM PDT by montanajoe
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To: montanajoe
In a democracy, the power to make the law rests with those chosen by the people....

In his closing, the Chief Justice expressed a view of the role of Congress and the Court that I could easily support. My problem is not with his statement, but with the fact that he did not follow it.

For the sake of discussion, I will concede that the intent of Congress was to do good things such as strengthening health exchanges and providing affordable care to as many people as possible. However, the law was not just a statement of laudable intent. It included a very detailed and explicit road map of how that intent was to be achieved. Indeed,the law was so detailed, it consumed thousands of pages.

This particular case was centered on the provision for limiting payment of subsidies to people enrolling in exchanges established by states. Whether in hindsight this structure was wise or not, whether it advanced the overall laudable intent of the law's sponsors or not, it was within the power of congress to structure it this way and was approved by a majority of congress in the exact form and language written.

By the time the executive branch (IRS) started crafting regulations to implement the law, they determined that it would not work as written so they departed from the language of the law and extended the subsidy provision to exchanges established by the Department of HHS. The suit was brought by private individuals because they were harmed by an alleged improper action by the IRS. Their objection was to an overreach by the IRS, not the Congress. Indeed, they supported the plain language of the law.

In direct contrast to his expression of respect for the role of congress and deference for their supremacy as the exclusive power in crafting legislation, he trashed them for being sloppy in their writing and structure and dismissed their collective understanding of the English language. He combined his understanding of the intent of the legislations sponsors with his opinion that the drafters of the law were incapable of using the English language to express their true meaning and concluded that the court had the power to, through interpretation, change what a majority of congress had approved.

I know I have taken the long way around to say that I don't agree that his was the action of a conservative jurist and that those of us offering criticism are being inconsistent. In this instance, the Chief Justice talks a good game but acts entirely different. He ignores the fact that Congress is still in business and, if they made a mistake in drafting or used language contrary to the sponsors intent, the law as written was still the law that was approved by a majority of Congress. If correction or change is necessary to achieve the intent, it is up to congress to take that action, not the court. Expediency, changed party alignment in congress or speculation about some unknown impact on individuals is certainly a political consideration but is not justification for the judiciary to usurp the power of Congress.

35 posted on 06/25/2015 11:11:39 PM PDT by etcb
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To: etcb
“If correction or change is necessary to achieve the intent, it is up to congress to take that action, not the court.”

That is exactly what the CJ is saying and that's the same thing he said the first time around.

Its not the Courts place to toss an entire statute unless there is a compelling reason to do so...that's called judicial restraint.

It's clearly the majority of the SC’s view that if this needs to be fixed then the Congress must fix it.

I know such a decision sorely pains our do nothing poll driven in it for themselves politicians but that's what they have to do if they want to change the statute. The Roberts Court is not going to bail them out .... and rightfully so in my opinion.

36 posted on 06/26/2015 12:03:56 AM PDT by montanajoe
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To: RatRipper

i wonder if those children Roberts has are his in the legal sense, or if not, if he participated in child trafficking.


37 posted on 06/26/2015 12:48:54 AM PDT by SteveH
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To: montanajoe
Roberts made it clear in the last decision that it is up to Congress to change the law if they want to change it.

Congress wrote the law clearly and deliberately. In absence of any constitutional issue, the Supreme Court was obliged to accept it was written, wisely or unwisely. Instead, they chose to fix Congress's malevolent, scheming mistake!

These idiot Republicans with all their outrage are an embarrassment.

If Congress would do its job there would be no need for Judicial activism.

SCOTUS today took it upon themselves to change a law which was perfectly clear, if utterly unwise.

The 'Rat-controlled Congress wrote the law as they did to induce red-state governors to fall into line in its implementation or face a voter backlash. However, the 'Rats miscalculated their political gambit. The red states deigned not to comply, as was their right, thereby kicking a hot potato back into the lap of Congress.

Now, in a lawless decision, the Supreme Court has seen fit to rescue Congress, to snatch that hot potato from their lap.

The takeaway? SCOTUS is scum for defiling the law!

The upshot: The GOP is relieved at not being obliged to fix ObamaCare with a Traitor still in the White House!

38 posted on 06/26/2015 1:01:26 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: montanajoe
I have listened to Conservatives scream for more than 40 years that they want Judicial restraint and they don't want Judge made law. They get a CJ deferring to the legislature and they scream if the decision doesn't go their way.

You are profoundly confused.

The decision went the opposite way the people's representatives in Congress voted. No matter how loudly those same critters claim what the really meant! Drafting error, my ass! The exchange requirement was there on purpose to blackmail the states. The 'Rats squealed when the blackmail failed. And our worthless Supreme Court bailed them out!

The correct outcome was to invalidate the government's reading of the law and let today's congress and our worthless president deal with the resulting mess.

39 posted on 06/26/2015 1:13:19 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody

Your arguments are political not legal I get that but you might want to read the opinion.

Robert’s specifically addressed the argument that the exchange requirement was there on purpose to blackmail the states.

“Congress evidently believed it was offering states a deal they would not refuse.”Brief for Petitioners 36.
Congress may have been wrong about the States’ willingness to establish their own Exchanges, petitioners continue, but that does not allow this Court to rewrite the Act to fix that problem. That is particularly true, petitioners conclude, because the States likely would have created their own Exchanges in the absence of the IRS Rule, which eliminated any incentive that the States had to do so. Id., at 36–38.

Section 18041 refutes the argument that Congress
believed it was offering the States a deal they would not
refuse. That section provides that, if a State elects not to
establish an Exchange, the Secretary “shall . . . establish
and operate such Exchange within the State.” 42 U. S. C.
§18041(c)(1)(A). The whole point of that provision is to
create a federal fallback in case a State chooses not to
establish its own Exchange.

Contrary to petitioners’ argument, Congress did not believe it was offering States a deal they would not refuse—it expressly addressed what would happen if a State did refuse the deal.

The SC ruled exactly the way that Robert’s indicated they would the first time around. Anybody believing otherwise was/is delusional.

The Roberts Court will not overturn statutes passed by Congress except in those rare cases there is absolutely no plausible argument of statutory construction to do so.

Its up to the Legislature to fix this.....


40 posted on 06/26/2015 2:24:20 AM PDT by montanajoe
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