Supreme Court declines to expedite Virginia suit against health law

Virginia's challenge of the health law will need to take the normal route through federal appeals courts.

The Associated Press:  Supreme Court Rejects Call To Put Review Of Health Care Law On Fast Track
The Supreme Court has rejected a call from Virginia's attorney general to depart from its usual practice and put review of the health care law on a fast track. Instead, judicial review of President Barack Obama's signature legislation will continue in federal appeals courts (4/25).

Reuters: Supreme Court Won't Speed Up Obama Healthcare Law Ruling
The justices turned down the state of Virginia's request to invoke a rarely used procedure to bypass the normal appeals process and speed up a Supreme Court ruling on the law's constitutionality ... Several federal trial judges around the nation have upheld the law but others have declared it unconstitutional (Vicini, 4/25).

The Wall Street Journal: High Court Rejects Early Challenge of Health Law
The move, which came in a short written order, wasn't a surprise because the court rarely agrees to hear cases before lower appeals courts have a chance to rule first. Mr. Cuccinelli argued that prompt Supreme Court resolution of the law's constitutionality was in the public's best interest. Mr. Cuccinelli challenged the health-care overhaul the day President Barack Obama signed it into law (Kendall, 4/25).

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Turns Down Virginia's Request To Expediate Review Of Health-Care Law
Depending on the speed of the appeals courts and the legal process, the issue could arrive back at the court by next year, in the thick of the next presidential election. ... [Cuccinelli] challenged Congress' authority to pass the so-called individual mandate, which requires nearly all Americans either be covered by their employer's insurance or buy their own coverage. ... But the Obama administration countered that the individual mandate requirement does not take effect until 2014, and that the justices would benefit from reviews of the law now underway in the appellate courts (Barnes, 4/25).

Related from KHN: Scoreboard: Tracking Health Law Court Challenges (Vaida, 4/25)