Wow. Over six hours of argument later, we're left with... well, a little over six hours of audio. Now we get to wait for the decision--only 89 days to go! (The opinion will almost certainly be issued on the last day of the term, which is scheduled for Monday, June 25th.)
We haven't had a chance to listen to today's arguments yet, so without comment: this morning, in National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius, the Court considered whether the remainder of the Affordable Care Act can stand if the Court finds the individual mandate unconstitutional. This afternoon, again in Florida v. Department of Health and Human Services, the Court heard argument about the Medicaid expansion in the law--specifically, whether it amounts to an impermissible coercion of the states by the federal government. Remember, this one is incredibly important for the federal-state balance. The Supreme Court has never struck down spending as coercive before, and it would be shocking if they did now. See Aaron Carroll's piece over at JAMA if you're interested in more.
We'll be back with more blogging soon (and probably more commentary on the arguments), but in the meantime, check out the recordings! Happy listening.
