02/02/11
This, not surprisingly, has set off another round of debates over just how realistic the president's plan is. Local and national media were on site Monday to gauge public opinion about the ruling. Many Gulf Coast citizens, still leery after a devastating 2010 summer and the fact this region is historically Republican, expressed their satisfaction in the ruling. Others expressed outrage. The ruling will be appealed, according to the Department of Justice, to the 11
th Circuit Court of Appeals. In its own statement released after the ruling, it said, ''We strongly disagree with the court's ruling today and continue to believe that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional''. This lawsuit encompasses a total of twenty states, including Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
In December, 2010, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson also ruled against the health care plan in a Virginia court, saying it was unconstitutional. This was the third lawsuit; two others in Michigan and Virginia had already stated it was unenforceable earlier in the year.
One Pensacola woman who was interviewed by local media said she felt it was wrong to force anyone to purchase healthcare insurance. A self-employed contractor in Mobile, Ala agreed.
For now, everyone appears to be waiting for these cases to make their way through the various courts so that eventually, the Supreme Court will be forced to decide.
