U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson put the health care reform law on a fast track to the Supreme Court on Thursday -- giving the Obama administration just seven days to file an appeal and signaling to fellow jurists that the time for a decision is now.
Vinson called his order a stay, but the real message was clear: Hurry up.
"The battle lines have been drawn, the relevant case law marshaled and the legal arguments refined," Vinson wrote. "It is very important to everyone in this country that this case move forward."
In one sense, the ruling was a victory for the Obama administration: It ended waves of confusion over whether states should continue working to implement the law. And in the hours after the ruling came down, some of the law's strongest opponents, including Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, said that they had no choice but to go along.
But Vinson had plenty of harsh words for the White House, too, criticizing administration officials for waiting weeks before filing a motion to "clarify" the Jan. 31 ruling in which he held that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's individual mandate -- and, therefore, the entire act -- violated the Constitution.
Read the complete Politico story, "Judge Roger Vinson issues stay of own ruling."
