Excerpts from the ACLJ:
The ACLJ is filing an amicus brief on behalf of 49 Members of Congress - including pro-life leaders Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Michele Bachmann, and Rep. Mike Pence - backing Virginia's ObamaCare lawsuit now before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
We are asking the court to uphold the lower court's decision that the "individual mandate" of ObamaCare is unconstitutional. We are also urging the appeals court to go further - they should declare the entire ObamaCare law unconstitutional.
As the legal challenges to ObamaCare move forward, there's one central argument that we're confident will win the day: the mandate forcing individuals to purchase health care insurance is unconstitutional. Forcing someone to buy health insurance is not economic activity - Congress does not have that authority under the Commerce Clause.
At the same time, the ACLJ's lawsuit against ObamaCare is also quickly moving forward in Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court has cleared the way for our legal challenge to be put on the fast track, meaning an expedited appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
With this decision, the court is sending a strong signal that time is of the essence in determining the constitutionality of this law. The first round of briefs in our case will be filed in May, with oral arguments before a three-judge panel to be scheduled in September.
Our legal team is encouraged by the significant movement of this issue - and certain that it will ultimately end up at the Supreme Court of the United States.
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel
From Congressman Dave Reichert (Wa.):
This week I released “Behind the Veil: The AARP America Doesn’t Know,” a new report exposing AARP’s questionable business practices. The report, which is the culmination of more than a year-long investigation, concludes that AARP stands to make upwards of one billion dollars over the next ten years as a result of last year’s healthcare overhaul law through the sale of insurance products they are paid to endorse.
In fact, despite their non-profit tax exempt status they could be the 6th largest insurance company in America, and their profits are only expected to grow as the healthcare takeover law is implemented. The facts I’ve uncovered point to a direct conflict of interest between AARP’s advocacy for eliminating the Medicare Advantage program that millions of their members benefit from and the massive profits AARP receives from for-profit companies for sponsoring Medigap plans that seniors will be forced to buy in the absence of Medicare Advantage. It’s apparent that AARP is putting its bottom line ahead of the best interests of the seniors it claims to represent.
God, we desperately need your mercy, your direction, and your forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.