US Supreme Court 2012 Rulings

[Netto Azure]

The rulings started last week Monday, but some of the major rulings came here today.

US Supreme Court cuts parts of Arizona migrant law

The Supreme Court was unanimous in upholding what has been called the "check your papers" provision, but struck down three other parts of the bill​

The US Supreme Court has backed checks on the immigration status of people stopped or arrested in Arizona, while striking down key parts of a tough law critics branded as racial profiling.

President Barack Obama said he was pleased three challenges were upheld.

But Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said the "heart" of the law would remain.

President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney are each battling for Hispanic votes ahead of November's presidential election.

Mr Romney reacted quickly to the court's ruling, criticising Mr Obama for not passing a national immigration reform law.

In a statement, he said each US state has "the duty - and the right - to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law".

President Barack Obama later said he was "pleased" that some parts of the law had been thrown out by the court.

But he added: "I remain concerned about the practical impact of the remaining provision of the Arizona law that requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of anyone they even suspect to be here illegally.

"No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like."

Hmm, still surprised me that most of the provisions of the Arizona Law was strucked down. But I think this majority was formed trying to hedge a further expansion of acceptance in the Arizona law.

Still I guess people will need to bring passports or some form of ID when crossing state borders considering the impacts of this as some states will enact Arizona-like laws while some would not. (Probably here in California) Although I would be interested in the studies done post-SC ruling on the checks done when cross-referencing the Federal Database if it would be "racially-neutral" as per assertions.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is due to be ruled on Thursday.

 

[Mr. X]

I don't see how showing a officer your drivers license is such a big issue. The few times I've been pulled over I've always been asked for license and registration, so I really don't see why people are saying that asking for some form of ID is racial profiling.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

So SCOTUS ruled that the state can inquire about a person's immigration status, and detain them temporarily so that they hand them over to the Feds?
My question is, how do police officers determine who to ask to show their papers?

I still have my fingers crossed hoping that Obamacare is stricken down!

 

[Netto Azure]

I thought it was supposed to be anyone for this to work since the whole anti-discrimination statutes and probable cause basis do go head to head against each other.

EDIT:
US Supreme Court upholds healthcare reform law

A key component of US President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform act, called the "individual mandate", is upheld, the Supreme Court rules.​

The US Supreme Court has said President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform act is constitutional.

The court upheld a core requirement known as the "individual mandate" that Americans buy insurance or pay a fine.

Challengers said Congress could not force people to buy goods from private companies. The government said health insurance was unlike any other product.

Healthcare is a deeply polarising issue in the US and Republicans strongly opposed Mr Obama's legislation.

In addition to the individual mandate, the Supreme Court was asked consider another part of the law that deals with the expansion of Medicaid, a government healthcare programme for low-income citizens.

The court ruled to limit that provision but did not strike it down altogether.

The Chief Justice, John Roberts, who is seen as a conservative, voted in favour of the healthcare law along with four liberal justices on the bench to provide the deciding vote in the case.

The Supreme Court is composed of nine justices, five are seen as conservative justices and four as liberals.

Good lord, I am in the verge of tears and have to thank Chief Justice Roberts WTH is the world going to?

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

I did love the CNN frenzy that greeted the result:

"It's overturned!"
"No wait, it's upheld!"
"We have no idea what's going on!"
"OK SO WE SCREWED THAT ONE UP, GIVE US A BREAK, DAMMIT!"

 

[Esper]

Surprised that Roberts was the 5th vote. I was thinking the court was going to put some limits on the mandate. Does this mean we're not going to have feuds over the health care law now that SCOTUS has said it's good? Probably not. But I'm still grateful that the principle behind sharing the costs of something important like health care has been upheld.

 

[Ivysaur]

Well, my faith in humanity has been slightly restored. Now I hope that crazy billionaire guy stays out of the White House and the Obama administration is given enough time for the system to get properly set up so the US citizens end up being forced to have health care- and get used to it before the next election.

I really love how lots of crazy dudes are saying that they are considering "moving to Canada to run away from the healthcare bill". Ahh, ignorance.

 

[Netto Azure]

I really love how lots of crazy dudes are saying that they are considering "moving to Canada to run away from the healthcare bill". Ahh, ignorance.

Best tweet out of the whole thing. LOL.

Now it's up to setting the whole thing up since entire blocks of states didn't even have a plan set up for the eventuality that this would actually be ruled constitutional lol.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I thought it was supposed to be anyone for this to work since the whole anti-discrimination statutes and probable cause basis do go head to head against each other.

EDIT:
US Supreme Court upholds healthcare reform law

A key component of US President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform act, called the "individual mandate", is upheld, the Supreme Court rules.​

Good lord, I am in the verge of tears and have to thank Chief Justice Roberts WTH is the world going to?

This is terrible, terrible news for all those that believe in freedom, but all we can do is fight to repeal it. This will inspire us liberty defenders to work overtime to make sure that a Republican defeats Obama in November.

All Republican candidates have vowed to issue an Obamacare waiver to all 50 states while they work on officially repealing and replacing the law.

Well, my faith in humanity has been slightly restored. Now I hope that crazy billionaire guy stays out of the White House and the Obama administration is given enough time for the system to get properly set up so the US citizens end up being forced to have health care- and get used to it before the next election.

I really love how lots of crazy dudes are saying that they are considering "moving to Canada to run away from the healthcare bill". Ahh, ignorance.

Best tweet out of the whole thing. LOL.

Now it's up to setting the whole thing up since entire blocks of states didn't even have a plan set up for the eventuality that this would actually be ruled constitutional lol.

What I find ignorant is liberals comparing Obamacare to a single-payer health care system.

The two are completely different things, so it is perfectly logical for one to move to Canada to escape Obamacare if one wishes to. In Canada (and in the UK), their public health care programs are funded through general taxation, and not through mandating that every citizens purchase private insurance under the threat of fines and imprisonment.

tl;dr
Obamacare benefits the insurance companies, while single-payer health care would put them out of business.

Big difference!!!

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Well, my faith in humanity has been slightly restored. Now I hope that crazy billionaire guy stays out of the White House and the Obama administration is given enough time for the system to get properly set up so the US citizens end up being forced to have health care- and get used to it before the next election.

I really love how lots of crazy dudes are saying that they are considering "moving to Canada to run away from the healthcare bill". Ahh, ignorance.

Now that would be ironic as many used Canada's own healthcare system as "proof" against the Affordable care act...

I got to say it's pretty interesting that the SCOTUS cited congress power to tax those who lack health care, it proably won't help those who say it's not a tax...

Also were any of you fooled by the misreporting? (I wasn't as I was away from the news for most of the day until now but proably would've been.)

 

[Netto Azure]

tl;dr
Obamacare benefits the insurance companies, while single-payer health care would put them out of business.

Big difference!!!

...Wow, just wow. Of course time and time again, "Liberals" have advocated for single payer. Of course they know the "big difference" between the two. It's not as if we had a HUGE DEBATE about the merits and the cons of this piece of legislation all over the place. >_>

Decade after Decade since Franklin Roosevelt the issue of healthcare coverage and access has been left unfinished. It's just that considering the political realities of the day, this was what was able to pass, THIS was the mechanism available to expand access and secure healthcare coverage for most if not all American citizens. "Ideological Liberals" decry this piece of legislation and are part of the polling always cited that "Americans do not like this law."

But at the end of the day, people should remember the razor thin margins of Majority in the House (Interestingly at the Senate it was a Super Majority) that passed PPACA. One could argue that Legislators held their breaths, took the leap of faith and passed legislation that at the very least puts the US at a path to easier access to medical care like other Western democracies.

Seriously, this comic panel sums up the whole irony of the whole thing:

 

[Mr. X]

This is terrible, terrible news for all those that believe in freedom, but all we can do is fight to repeal it. This will inspire us liberty defenders to work overtime to make sure that a Republican defeats Obama in November.

Romney is your only choice, and given how 'Obamacare' was based on a law that he passed while Governor, I don't see how you think he is a better choice.

Sure, he doesn't support it 'now', however just how many other things has he changed his opinion on?

As for the law itself, I beleive in freedom, but I don't beleive in the freedom for health insurance companies to deny insurance to children born with medical conditions, to drop people just because they get a expensive medical condition, or for them to constantly jack up a persons rates only because they get sick.

This is a pic I found on FB earlier.

Edit

I miss the good old days... You know, when politicians actually tried to help to common person, even if their party ideals were against it?

And no one is threatening to throw people in jail, although you would be jailed if you refused to pay your taxes... You know, like most other countries? Once again, you've just done a massive leap in, entirely wrong, logic and I'm the only one who is supposed to do that.

As for out healthcare system, in general, its not as good as we are making/forcing other people to believe it is. I'll agree that for the extremely wealthy who can afford the top notch care that yes, its the best in the world. However, for the average person? It's not.
https://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/1...-usa-despite-constant-spin-make-us-believe-it
https://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012...-u-s-really-have-the-best-health-care-system/

 

[Esper]

I miss the good old days... You know, when politicians actually tried to help to common person, even if their party ideals were against it?

It's funny. Republicans are in favor of pretty much everything in the health care law when you ask them about the different elements, but they still say they hate the Affordable Care Act when you ask them.

And no one is threatening to throw people in jail, although you would be jailed if you refused to pay your taxes... You know, like most other countries? Once again, you've just done a massive leap in, entirely wrong, logic and I'm the only one who is supposed to do that.

You wouldn't actually be jailed if you didn't pay. You'd be fined. And if you didn't pay the fine I believe the health care law states that you can't be put in jail because of it. Not exactly the best way to ensure that it gets funded, I gotta say.

 

[Mr. X]

It's funny. Republicans are in favor of pretty much everything in the health care law when you ask them about the different elements, but they still say they hate the Affordable Care Act when you ask them.

I said this before, but this is why a dual party system is always going to fail. It will, eventually, become a pit of hatred where neither side will agree with each other, only because their titles are different. Both sides would rather let this country fall to ruin, then to swallow their pride and hatred so they could work together. Each side wants this country to succeed by their own ideals, no matter the cost. (Basically, the only reason they hate this is because the Democrats are suguesting it... or...)

Am I the only one here who has the suspicion that if Obama was white, he would get more republican support? (They are against it because they don't want to admit that a black man has managed to fix what a white man has ****ed up.)

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Actually, you now CAN be imprisoned for not buying health insurance.

Congress didn't make the penalty for not buying insurance a tax because if it's a tax, and you don't pay it, you can be imprisoned for tax evasion.
Instead, Congress made it a penalty for not engaging in commerce under the Commerce Clause, and not under Congress' taxing power.

The Supreme Court just ruled that Congress cannot penalize people for not engaging in commerce, but they held that the individual mandate could survive as a tax.

Now, the mandate is a tax, and you can be imprisoned for not paying your taxes.

 

[Mr. X]

And the congress has had powers to tax people since the creation of the constution.

Deal with it, or start a movement to have Congresses taxation powers removed.

 

[Oryx]

It's the same as car insurance. When you don't have car insurance and get in an accident, you harm the other person. When you don't have health insurance and get sick, you raise everyone's rates by relying on the emergency room treating you for free. I saw an image the other day that explained the logic behind the system really well in my opinion:

Spoiler:

 

[FreakyLocz14]

And the congress has had powers to tax people since the creation of the constution.

Deal with it, or start a movement to have Congresses taxation powers removed.

Obama himself us upset that the Court made the mandate a tax.
He is now insisting that it's just a penalty, as Congress wrote the law.

How arrogant can Obama get?
The Supreme Court just upheld the foundation for socialism in America, and he's still complaining!

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTU...amacare-mandate-penalty-tax/story?id=16679772

It's the same as car insurance. When you don't have car insurance and get in an accident, you harm the other person. When you don't have health insurance and get sick, you raise everyone's rates by relying on the emergency room treating you for free. I saw an image the other day that explained the logic behind the system really well in my opinion:

Spoiler:

There is no federal auto insurance mandate.

Also, one can avoid an auto insurance mandate by not driving, while there is no way, save a valid religious exemption, to avoid the Obamacare mandate.

 

[Mr. X]

Also, one can avoid an auto insurance mandate by not driving, while there is no way, save a valid religious exemption, to avoid the Obamacare mandate.

Moving to another country sounds like a way to avoid the mandate.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Moving to another country sounds like a way to avoid the mandate.

Immigrating is easier said than done.

I would also like to add that the Court found the mandate to be unconstitutional as a penalty, and that it can only stand as a tax.

If Obama enforces it as a penalty instead of as a tax, his administration can easily be sued, and that might cause the issue to be re-litigated all over again.