White House, lawmakers brace for high court health care decision and plot responses

As almost all of Washington waits breathlessly for the Supreme Court's ruling on the constitutionality of the health law, Reuters profiles the actual "secret keepers" -- the court clerks. 

The Washington Post: White House, Lawmakers Prepare For Supreme Court Ruling On Obama's Health-Care Law
In this city of rumors and leaks, it has been an excruciating lead-up to the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama's health-care law. ... Each day brings a new wave of speculation via Twitter and Washington gossip channels. And behind the scenes, Republicans and Democrats are strategizing about what to do in the moments and days after the most consequential high court decision in a generation -; a ruling that will reverberate politically and in the lives of everyday Americans (Somashekhar and Aizenman, 6/14).

The New York Times: With Justices Set To Rule On Health Law, 2 Parties Strategize
House Republicans are not waiting for the Supreme Court verdict on the new health care law to plot their strategic response. If the measure is not thrown out entirely, House leaders plan to force a vote immediately to repeal the law to reinforce their deep opposition to the legislation, opposition that has become central to their political identity (Weisman and Shear, 6/14).

Reuters: Insight: The Secret Keepers: Meet The U.S. Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court watchers have scoured the landscape for clues about how the nine justices will vote. But they left one stone unturned. Make that 36. That is the number of law clerks who serve the justices, do their research, help draft their opinions and exert a not insignificant influence on their thinking. ... Of this year's crop, 25 previously clerked for federal appeals-court judges appointed by Republican presidents. Only 11 clerked for Democratic appointees. At least five were members of the conservative Federalist Society while in school (Baynes, 6/14).