Day two of argument is posted!
Apologies for not managing to post this yesterday, but the oral argument audio from yesterday's consideration of the Miminum Coverage Provision (the individual mandate). Yesterday's Twittersphere consensus was that the argument went badly for Solicitor General Verrilli, and we have to agree--there were moments when he seemed to stumble over his arguments, and points that could have been made more clearly and forcefully. The case is far from over, though, and anything the Solicitor General missed in oral argument is surely covered in the government's briefs.
Go have a listen! Today's arguments are the last: this morning, and hour and a half on severability (whether the Court must strike down the whole law, if the individual mandate falls), and an hour this afternoon on whether the Medicaid expansion is coercive to the states. That last argument is incredibly important for the federal balance of power--Aaron Carroll has a good piece on it at the JAMA Forum blog--but it would be incredibly surprising if the Court decided to strike it down. We'll post audio this evening, when both sessions are out.
Clik here to view.
