Monday, November 14, 2011

The questions presented

Here is a comprehensive list of the questions on which the Court granted certiorari this morning:

On severability (90 minutes of argument):

1(a). (From NFIB v. Sebelius) "The question presented is whether the ACA must be invalidated in its entirety because it is nonseverable from the individual mandate that exceeds Congress’ limited and enumerated powers under the Constitution."

1(b). (Question 3 from Florida v. HHS) "[T]o what extent  (if any) can  the mandate  be severed from the remainder of the Act?"

On the constitutionality of the minimum coverage provision (2 hours of argument):

2. (From HHS v. Florida) "Whether Congress had the power under Article I of the Constitution to enact the minimum coverage provision."

On the Anti-Injunction Act (1 hour of argument):

3. (Added by the Court in its order this morning) "Whether the suit brought by respondents to challenge the minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is barred by the Anti-Injunction Act, 26 U.S.C. §7421(a)."


On the constitutionality of the ACA's Medicaid amendments (1 hour of argument):


4. (Question 1 from Florida v. HHS) "Does Congress exceed its enumerated powers and violate basic principles of federalism when  it coerces States into accepting onerous conditions that  it  could not impose  directly by threatening to withhold all  federal  funding under the single largest grant-in-aid program, or does the limitation on Congress‘s spending  power  that this Court  recognized in  South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987), no longer apply?"