Administration: Health lawsuit 'without merit'

[babylonsister]

Administration: Health lawsuit 'without merit'
By Jordan Fabian - 03/24/10 05:28 PM ET


The Obama administration on Wednesday blasted as bogus a lawsuit filed by states against the new healthcare law.

The suit was filed this week by 13 state attorneys general, who are challenging the constitutionality of the new law.

A senior administration official expressed confidence that the healthcare overhaul would withstand legal disputes during a talk with reporters. The official described the suit as bogus and accused the Republican attorneys general behind it of acting for political gain.

"We believe that the lawsuits that have been filed thus far in an effort to block healthcare reform are completely without merit," the official said. "In our view this is nothing new."

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The official said that all of the provisions are grounded in sound legal precedent and that the claims in the lawsuit are "false and in direct conflict with Supreme Court precedent that is directly on point." The official listed several cases, both old and new, that uphold the disputed provisions of the new health law.

The White House official added that prior legal challenges to social legislation, such as Social Security, the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, failed in court.

With regards to the attorneys general who filed the suit, the official said that several are running for higher office and are milking the case for free publicity.

"The people who are out in front of this are running for higher office for the most part and this is a pretty good way to get on TV," the official said.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/88929-wh-believes-health-lawsuit-is-without-merit-says-overhaul-is-legally-sound