Judge meant to halt health law implementation, states say

Taking a position that the Obama administration's request for "clarification" from U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson regarding his recent ruling on the 26-state challenge to the health law's individual mandate is "wishful thinking," the involved states maintain that the judge's meaning was clear: he meant to stop work on the law's rollout.

Politico: States: Request 'Wishful Thinking'
The 26 states who came out on the winning end of a federal court decision invalidating the health care reform law say an Obama administration request for clarification is nothing but "wishful thinking." The administration has asked U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson to clarify his order invalidating the Affordable Care Act. But in a brief filed Wednesday night, the states say the administration is effectively seeking a stay of Vinson's order - and that it hasn't met the standards for one (Grieve, 2/23).

The Hill: States: Judge Clearly Meant To Halt Work On The Health Care Law
New comments from the states come after the Obama administration asked a judge to clarify [his] ruling that struck down reforms. The 26 states and a business group that successfully challenged the health care reform law in federal court said the judge clearly meant to halt implementation of the health care overhaul (Millman, 2/23).

NPR's Shots Blog: Judges Reviewing Health Law Say Penalty Is Not A Tax
So far, the five U.S. District Court judges who have ruled on the merits in the various lawsuits against the Patient Protection Act haven't agreed on much. But they do agree on one thing: The penalty for people who don't get health insurance starting in 2014 is NOT a tax (Rovner, 2/23).