Free Republic

Is ObamaCare's "individual mandate"-- the requirement that all Americans buy health insurance -- an unconstitutional infringement on individual liberty? Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson thinks so. On Monday, he ruled the mandate unconstitutional, saying it "exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power." The decision catapulted the controversial health reform law back into the spotlight, with Hudson's decision earning applause from conservatives and arguments from the White House. The debate almost certainly sets up a Supreme Court showdown to resolve the issue. Why is the federal government mandating the purchase of health insurance? Should it? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the...

The White House insisted Tuesday that the implementation of President Barack Obama's landmark health care law will not be affected by a negative federal court ruling, and the Justice Department said it would appeal. "There's no practical impact at all as states move forward in implementing ... the law that Congress passed and the president signed," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.....

Joy Tiz ©2010 District Judge Henry Hudson affirmed what should be patently obvious to anyone with the feeblest familiarity with the U.S. Constitution. Judge Hudson ruled that ObamaCare “exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power.” Regrettably, the court refused to issue an injunction preventing implementation of ObamaCare. Judge Hudson reasoned that the coverage mandate could be severed from the rest of the law. Health care stocks have already responded. "U.S. health-care stocks extended gains after the ruling. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Health Care Index rose 0.5 percent at 12 p.m. New York time. UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Coventry Health...

UPDATED According to multiple reports, a federal judge in Virginia has ruled that part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — is unconstitutional. The ruling by District Judge Henry Hudson says the law “exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power” by requiring individuals to purchase health care coverage under the “individual mandate.” It is the first federal ruling against the law. “Neither the Supreme Court nor any federal circuit court of appeals has extended Commerce Clause powers to compel an individual to involuntarily enter the stream of commerce by purchasing a commodity in the private market,” Hudson...

Law: A judge will let proceed a Virginia suit to declare ObamaCare unconstitutional while the state's attorney general says police can check immigration status a la the Arizona law. Somewhere Patrick Henry is smiling. ObamaCare is unconstitutional, and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli knows it. He also knows our unsecure borders and a stealth amnesty program pushed by this administration threaten citizens as far north as Richmond. That's why he's taken action in both areas, leading the states that formed a group in revolt against it. Cuccinelli has issued a legal opinion that says Virginia police are allowed under the...

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli took Obamacare to court today in U.S. District Court in Richmond. Judge Henry Hudson, a Bush appointee and former U.S. Attorney in the high-profile ‘Rocket Docket’ in the Eastern District of Virginia is a very solid judge. Many Virginia lawyers, including your truly and Doug Mataconis, practiced before him when he was a Circuit Court judge in Fairfax County. I agree with Doug that regardless of the outcome of the ruling itself, it will be very well thought out. To put it bluntly, Judge Hudson is no slouch.

Volunteers Needed to Rig Half Moon, April 17/18 & 24/25 This is our first email sent through Constant Comment. It is also the first HTML (web-like) email for us. If you would prefer to change your copy back to "plain text" or modify your email address, scroll to the bottom and click 'update profile.' 1. Help Rig Half Moon, Weekends in April 17/18 & 24/25 Volunteer crew are needed the weekends of April 17/18 and 24/25 to help rig the Half Moon for seasonal sailing operations. Jennifer Reilly will manage the re-rig, and assign training and jobs according to ship...

RICHMOND, VA—Kelli Payne, age 40, of Ashland, Va., today pled guilty to stealing federal funds from the City of Richmond School District, for whom Payne previously worked. Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Sentencing has been set for October 13, 2009. Payne faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. In 2005, the City of Richmond Public Schools received a federal grant for the Even Start education...

It has been 400 years since English explorer Henry Hudson mapped the northeast coast of North America, leaving a wake of rivers and towns named in his honor, yet what happened to the famed explorer remains a mystery. Hudson was never heard from again after a mutiny by his crew during a later voyage through northern Canada. That he died in the area in 1611 is a certainty, and he may have even been killed in cold blood, according to new research.

New York Public LibraryAn illustration thought to be that of the English explorer Henry Hudson. National Maritime Museum Amsterdam/Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum A 17th-century navigation journal at the Museum of the City of New York. Looking for something to celebrate? How about the commemoration of New York’s 400th birthday beginning next Saturday? On April 4, 1609, the English navigator Henry Hudson left Amsterdam harbor to search for a shortcut to Asia. Hudson’s instructions from the Dutch East India Company were to sail east, as he had on two earlier voyages that were thwarted by Arctic ice. Instead, inspired by insights gleaned from...

When football superstar Michael Vick pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to run a dogfighting operation, we knew he had kept about 50 pit bulls on his 15-acre property in rural Surry County. We knew the dogs were chained to car axles near wooden hovels for shelter. And we knew the dogs that didn't fight were beaten, shot, hanged, electrocuted or drowned. But we didn't know their names. Headlines described the nameless dogs as "menacing." Some animal rights groups called for the "ticking time bombs" to be euthanized as soon as Vick's case was closed and they were no longer...