Federal judge in Virginia voids key provision of health law

The New York Times:  Judge Voids Key Element Of Obama Health Care Law
A federal judge in Virginia ruled on Monday that the keystone provision in the Obama health care law is unconstitutional, becoming the first judge to invalidate any part of the sprawling act and ensuring that appellate courts will receive contradictory opinions from below (Sack, 12/13).

Los Angeles Times: Key Healthcare Provision Voided By Federal Judge
Declaring a core part of the new healthcare law unconstitutional, a federal judge in Virginia has launched President Obama's signature domestic achievement into a gantlet of conservative-leaning courts that will almost certainly conclude at the Supreme Court just as the 2012 election is cresting (Levey and Savage, 12/13).

NPR: Federal Judge Strikes Down Key Part Of Health Law
A federal district court judge in Virginia has handed the new health law a setback. The judge has ruled that Congress overstepped its constitutional authority in requiring most people to either get health insurance or pay a penalty (Rovner, 12/13).

The Washington Post: Federal Judge In Virginia Strikes Down Part Of Health-Care Law
A federal judge in Virginia ruled Monday that it is unconstitutional for the government to compel Americans to buy health insurance, marking the first time a court has struck down any facet of the massive new law to overhaul the nation's health-care system (Helderman and Goldstein, 12/14).

USA Today: Health Law Loses In Court Challenge
The first judicial ruling against a key part of President Obama's landmark health care law has boosted efforts by opponents who want it repealed, stripped of funding or struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, a battle that could take years (Wolf and Biskupic, 12/13).

The Wall Street Journal: Court Strikes At Health Law
A federal court ruled Monday that a key part of the health-care overhaul violates the Constitution, dealing the first legal setback to the Obama administration's signature legislative accomplishment (Adamy, 12/13).

McClatchy: Virginia Federal Judge Rules Health Care Law Unconstitutional
A federal judge on Monday ruled unconstitutional a key provision of President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul law, moving its mandate that Americans buy health insurance coverage one step closer to a Supreme Court showdown. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, a Republican appointee serving the Eastern District of Virginia, said that Congress had exceeded its constitutional power when it imposed the health insurance mandate (Talev and Doyle, 12/13).

Reuters: Judge Rejects Key Part Of Obama Health Care Law
"This dispute is not simply about regulating the business of insurance — or crafting a scheme of universal health insurance coverage — it's about an individual's right to choose to participate," Hudson wrote, adding the provision invites an "unbridled exercise of federal police powers" (Lambert and Pelofsky, 12/13).

National Journal: Federal Judge Rules Against Health Care Law
A federal judge today upheld a constitutional challenge to the health care law brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, but denied an injunction to stop implementation of the law (McCarthy, 12/13).