In-depth analysis of health law decision

News outlet examine how constitutional issues, most notably the Commerce Clause, are central to the health law and its journey to the nation's highest court. Meanwhile, the Associated Press offers insights into Judge Vinson's own experiences with the health system.

The Wall Street Journal: Contentious Clause At Heart Of Health-Law Challenges
The Commerce Clause, which has been at the heart of court challenges to the health care overhaul's individual mandate, is among the most contentious components of the U.S. Constitution (Jones, 2/1).

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Federal Judge: A Wink At The Tea Party In Overturning Health Law
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, ruling against the Obama administration's health care overhaul, reached back to a seminal American Revolution-era event now in vogue with today's tea party movement. The central issue in dispute is whether the Constitution gives Congress the power to require Americans to buy health insurance or face financial penalties (Perez, 1/31).

The Associated Press: Fla. Judge In Obama Health Suit Has Own Med Story
Vinson, who sided with 26 states fighting the much-maligned measure, revealed his own health care story during arguments several weeks ago, an example that helped shed light on his ruling Monday. When Vinson was a law student and his wife gave birth to their first child, he paid a doctor in cash. "It amounted to about $100 a pound," the 70-year-old jurist joked in December (2/1).