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Did Justice Roberts Change His Obamacare Vote At The Eleventh Hour?
Forbes.com ^ | 6/28/2012 | Rick Ungar

Posted on 06/28/2012 4:03:53 PM PDT by Aquamarine

There is an odd anomaly found in Justice Scalia’s dissenting opinion in today’s Obamacare decision.

When referencing the opinion of Justice Ginsburg—who wrote the opinion on behalf of herself and the remaining three liberals on the Court—Scalia refers to Ginsburg’s opinion as the ‘dissent’. This raises the specter that, at the time Scalia wrote his opinion, Justice Ginsburg may have actually been in the minority rather than a part of the ultimate majority which upheld the law.

While Justice Scalia may well have been referring to Ginsburg’s dissent to the Commerce Clause argument that was carried by a majority of the Court and found that the ACA was not constitutionally permissible under the Commerce Clause, it could also indicate that Chief Justice Roberts changed his vote—for reasons that we may never know—at the last moment and that Scalia failed to make the correction in his own opinion when referring to Ginsburg’s writing.

This from “The Volokh Conspiracy” :

“Back in May, there were rumors floating around relevant legal circles that a key vote was taking place, and that Roberts was feeling tremendous pressure from unidentified circles to vote to uphold the mandate. Did Roberts originally vote to invalidate the mandate on commerce clause grounds, and to invalidate the Medicaid expansion, and then decide later to accept the tax argument and essentially rewrite the Medicaid expansion (which, as I noted, citing Jonathan Cohn, was the sleeper issue in this case) to preserve it? If so, was he responding to the heat from President Obama and others, preemptively threatening to delegitimize the Court if it invalidated the ACA? The dissent, along with the surprising way that Roberts chose to uphold both the mandate and the Medicaid expansion, will inevitably feed the rumor mill.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: healthcare; tax
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1 posted on 06/28/2012 4:03:59 PM PDT by Aquamarine
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To: Aquamarine

Bush had Medicare Part D, Roberts has Robertscare (a more fitting name).


2 posted on 06/28/2012 4:06:51 PM PDT by PAConservative1
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To: Aquamarine

For what it’s worth, the bilderburgers had their usual meeting a few weeks ago. Wonder if he got offered something hh couldn’t refuse? Or is it legacy building? The leftards will love him now, till his use fullness runs out anyway.


3 posted on 06/28/2012 4:07:41 PM PDT by Mmogamer (I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)
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To: Aquamarine

He changed his vote after the Sandusky conviction scared him.


4 posted on 06/28/2012 4:07:50 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: Aquamarine

Is Justice Roberts allowed to do this?
And what happens if he comes out later and says he was coerced?


5 posted on 06/28/2012 4:08:35 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: Aquamarine

"ObamaCARE does not regulate us, Congress, or Islam, SUCKERS!!!!!!"


6 posted on 06/28/2012 4:08:39 PM PDT by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. " Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: PAConservative1

Why t you guys get this. Roberts guaranteed this election for us. We should be thanking him. Bigger picture people. It will be overturned completely I stead of by pieces... This is a good thing. Think 1994 on steroids,!!!


7 posted on 06/28/2012 4:09:54 PM PDT by Hildy ("When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." - Socrates)
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To: Aquamarine

I have long said that we are in the midst of a marxist takeover.


8 posted on 06/28/2012 4:12:38 PM PDT by gorush (History repeats itself because human nature is static)
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To: Aquamarine

Chief Justice Roberts woke up with a dead horse in his bed.


9 posted on 06/28/2012 4:13:38 PM PDT by getarope (I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I am all out of bubble gum!)
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To: Hildy

The bigger picture is this isn’t about Obamacare or even the repeal. It’s the legal precedence and expansion of the gov’t to regulate behavior and tax/fine any unapproved/approved action and inaction.

The only good in the long-term is if you think this is a call to arms...not to the voting booth.


10 posted on 06/28/2012 4:14:38 PM PDT by Kaosinla (The More the Plans Fail. The More the Planners Plan.)
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To: Hildy

I’d much rather have had the communist healthcare law guaranteed to be gone for good than make a political gamble which may or may not pay off.


11 posted on 06/28/2012 4:15:29 PM PDT by PAConservative1
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To: Aquamarine
"Back in May, there were rumors floating around relevant legal circles that a key vote was taking place, and that Roberts was feeling tremendous pressure from unidentified circles to vote to uphold the mandate...If so, was he responding to the heat from President Obama and others, preemptively threatening to delegitimize the Court if it invalidated the ACA? The dissent, along with the surprising way that Roberts chose to uphold both the mandate and the Medicaid expansion, will inevitably feed the rumor mill."

What does Rush know about Roberts -- 'I know but I can't say' re: Roberts with the Left on the Arizona decision, and foreshadowing this decision as well 'the next one could go this way' -- but won't tell?

12 posted on 06/28/2012 4:16:35 PM PDT by StAnDeliver (=)
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To: Aquamarine

At first I was disappointed - I think Roberts might might have been very wise....

If Romney can’t win now we are totally screwed as a nation ruled by the constitution.

Roberts basically said - you all voted for this by allowing Obama to get elected.... now you all fix it.

Risky - but smart.


13 posted on 06/28/2012 4:17:53 PM PDT by mike_9958
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To: Aquamarine

Tired of Roberts being defended. There was no real threat of invalidating the court. Roberts did that single handedly today. He proved that the court was nothing but an activist nightmare and he needs to be replaced or the court is nothing but destructive.


14 posted on 06/28/2012 4:17:59 PM PDT by formosa (Formosa)
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To: Hildy

It is not the SCOTUS’s role to make decisions based on potential political gain.


15 posted on 06/28/2012 4:18:24 PM PDT by mnehring
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To: Aquamarine

The Chicago gangbangers may have made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Chicago politics do get ugly.


16 posted on 06/28/2012 4:18:28 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Dude! Where's my Constitution?!)
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To: Hildy

roberts did one and only one thing today... and if you read the dissenting opinions then you will know... roberts handed down a horrible and treasonous decision.

This election is no more guaranteed for romney than obamacare being doomed due to the oral arguments. There is a better than even chance that obama will win... and if he does... we will probably lose House seats and lose seats in the Senate. obamao is that corrupt and that powerful... your government machine wants to morph into a central command government that controls everything that citizens do. romeny may lose... because he is just that horrible a candidate. Guarantee? Don’t write a check that you can’t cash.

LLS


17 posted on 06/28/2012 4:19:57 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Don't Tread On Me)
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To: formosa

“Tired of Roberts being defended. There was no real threat of invalidating the court. Roberts did that single handedly today. He proved that the court was nothing but an activist nightmare and he needs to be replaced or the court is nothing but destructive.”

I can’t say what it is, but there is something ticking in this decision...and it is not a clock. Zero better enjoy his day in the sun. It won’t be long before the ticking stops and he won’t know what hit him, Constitutional scholar though he may be.


18 posted on 06/28/2012 4:22:43 PM PDT by jessduntno ("Newt Gingrich was part of the Reagan Revolution's Murderers' Row." - Jeffrey Lord, Reagan Admin.)
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To: mike_9958

I wondered if he did it intentionally. To orchestrate Obama adding a new “tax”, but more so, to get the majority of the country fired up.

It could make people mad enough to cast a vote for Romney, when they otherwise wouldn’t have.


19 posted on 06/28/2012 4:23:03 PM PDT by JudyinCanada
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To: Hildy

No, Hildy, Laura Ingram said it best when she noted that there is no way this was a “brilliant coup” for the GOP when we are less free today than yesterday.


20 posted on 06/28/2012 4:23:26 PM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually (Hendrix))
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