{"id":2590,"date":"2012-03-26T15:58:55","date_gmt":"2012-03-26T19:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=2590"},"modified":"2012-03-26T15:58:55","modified_gmt":"2012-03-26T19:58:55","slug":"jay-sekulow-scotus-green-light-to-address-merits-of-obamacare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2012\/03\/jay-sekulow-scotus-green-light-to-address-merits-of-obamacare.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: SCOTUS – Green Light to Address Merits of ObamaCare?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The first day of oral arguments before the high court concerning the constitutionality of ObamaCare focused on whether the 1867 Anti-Injunction Act (AIA)<\/a> applies to this case. The AIA bars claimants from asking for a refund on a tax until that tax has been collected and paid. If the high court concludes the AIA applies to ObamaCare, it would force the Justices to punt on ObamaCare for now, putting off a decision on the health care law for a number of years.<\/p>\n

Predicting what the high court will determine is never easy. But based on questioning from the Justices in court today, I don’t think that’s likely to happen. It was very clear that Justices on both sides of ObamaCare expressed doubt that the AIA applies – a\u00a0 move that would clear the way for the constitutional challenge to ObamaCare’s key provision, the individual mandate, to move forward now, not later.<\/p>\n

As I told Megyn Kelly on FOX News today, it was a bit puzzling that the high court spent 90 minutes on oral arguments on this issue about whether they can even proceed with the ObamaCare challenge, but I am optimistic that the high court will reach the merits.<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e4-FLJmghMM<\/a>\n

The complete audio of the oral arguments and a transcript\u00a0are posted here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coming up tomorrow: the main event – the individual mandate – and whether Congress overstepped its authority when it put in place a mandate that compels Americans to purchase pro-abortion health care, or face financial penalties.<\/p>\n

As I told Megyn Kelly, I don’t think we got a sense from the questioning today about how the Justices view the individual mandate. Having argued more than a dozen cases before the high court, I can tell you from personal experience, it’s never easy to read the tea leaves and determine the outcome of a case based on oral arguments. But one thing is clear to me: this will be a very close case.<\/p>\n

And I do remain hopeful that the Justices will not only get to the heart of the matter, but ultimately determine that ObamaCare – including the individual mandate – is the wrong prescription for America’s health care system, and is unconstitutional as well.<\/p>\n

Join me for Day 2 analysis tomorrow on our radio broadcast<\/a>\u00a0and at 2:30pm eastern on FOX News with Megyn Kelly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jay Sekulow<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first day of oral arguments before the high court concerning the constitutionality of ObamaCare focused on whether the 1867 Anti-Injunction Act (AIA) applies to this case. The AIA bars claimants from asking for a refund on a tax until that tax has been collected and paid. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2590"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions\/2601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}