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UT Law Professor Gives Perspective On Affordable Health Care Ruling

Updated: Thursday, June 28 2012, 04:04 PM CDT
KEYE TV's Karen Kiley interviewed University of Texas Professor of Business Law Frank Cross about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Health Care law.  Watch his entire interview for insight into the debate.

"It was fascinating, completely unexpected."

"The fact that Kennedy went to the conservatives and Roberts with the liberal side is quite a surprise, although maybe not so much for those who know the history of the Supreme Court."

"Nobody thought they would go on the tax clause.  The administration didn’t push it, but it was out there."

"Politically it’s a total liberal victory.  But legally, for the future decisions of the Supreme Court, it’s a conservative victory.  The Supreme Court doesn’t rule on whether or not it’s a good law -- just whether it is constitutional or not."

"There were no opinions specifically saying you could force a person to do or buy something under the commerce clause."

"The tax clause in the Constitution lets the government tax to do anything.  So it’s not very exceptional to say they had the power to do this under the taxing clause."
UT Law Professor Gives Perspective On Affordable Health Care Ruling