Setting the scene for the Supreme Court’s consideration of the health law

Two state attorneys general will face off at the National Press Club on the constitutionality of the health overhaul. In other news, a Mississippi district court judge has agreed to hear a different legal challenge to the measure.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Cuccinelli, Mass.'s Coakley Face Off At National Press Club In D.C. Over Health Care Overhaul
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will square off against Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley on the constitutionality of the federal health care overhaul. The Feb. 9 event at the National Press Club in Washington will serve as a prelude to the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of challenges to the law in March. A decision could be reached by June (2/2).

Politico Pro: Mississippi ACA Lawsuit Set For August
The health care law is going back to the courtroom this summer on a completely different issue than the one dominating headlines. Mississippi District Court Judge Keith Starrett agreed Wednesday to hear a lawsuit, filed by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and 10 individuals, that says the requirement to buy insurance -; and provide insurers with private medical data -; violates their constitutional right to privacy. Starrett said he'll hear the case sometime in August. The mandate "constitutes a serious governmental abrogation of the ancient right to medical privacy," the plaintiffs wrote in their March 2011 complaint (Haberkorn, 2/1).