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reversed in the appeals process. Con- gress did indeed render the individual mandate unenforceable when it reduced the penalty for not complying to zero. But that very same Congress left the rest of the law intact. What’s more, Repub- lican efforts to repeal the ACA failed in the same Congress. In addition, even if the federal appeals court that oversees Texas were to agree with O’Connor, it seems improbable at best that Chief Justice John Roberts, who twice wrote opinions upholding the law — in 2012 and 2015, would now strike it down.
WHO WILL APPEAL THE RUL- ING, AND HOW LONG MIGHT THE PROCESS TAKE?
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the leader of a coalition of states defending the law in court, already has promised to appeal. The process will take months at a minimum, even with the states pressing for a speedy resolu-
tion because of the uncertainty O’Con- nor’s ruling creates and the potential effects on the insurance markets.
If the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- peals reverses O’Connor, chances that the Supreme Court would hear the case are slim. If the 5th Circuit agrees with O’Connor, high court review becomes very likely because the justices almost always weigh in when a federal law has been struck down. But even then, the Supreme Court wouldn’t hear the case before the fall of 2019 at the earliest, with a decision unlikely before the spring of 2020 — amid the presidential and congressional campaigns.
HOW WILL CONGRESS RESPOND?
Democrats in the House say they plan to intervene in the defense of the law, joining Democrat-led states. In addition, expect hearings in the House to focus on Trump administration efforts that Dem- ocrats, who take charge of the House
in January, say are intended to under- mine the health care law. These include encouraging the use of low-cost short- term policies with limited coverage and cuts to government attempts to sign up beneficiaries.
Rep. Frank Pallone, the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Democrats are readying bills to curb the use of the short-term plans and bolster the Obama law’s coverage of people with pre-ex- isting conditions. The bill could also make federal subsidies for lower-earning beneficiaries more generous and shore up insurers for covering seriously ill customers with extremely high costs of care, he said.
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Associated Press writers Ricardo Alon- so-Zaldivar and Alan Fram contributed to this report.
Indiana mayor won’t seek 3rd term, fueling 2020 speculation
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said Monday he won’t seek a third term, fueling speculation he may run for president in 2020.
Pete Buttigieg, an openly gay 36-year- old who gained national attention as he campaigned for Democratic National Committee chairman last year , declined to comment on his future political plans. He said he doesn’t expect to make any announcements before January .
“I don’t think it’s a secret that we’re look- ing at things, and we’ll continue to do so going into the new year,” he said.
Asked whether he’d comment about a possible presidential bid, he smiled and replied “nope.”
Buttigieg is scheduled to speak Satur-
day at an Iowa political dinner along with other potential Democratic presidential candidates. He also spoke at a Progress Iowa event last year.
He authored a book that’s scheduled to be released in February about his life and experience as mayor of the northwest Indi- ana community of roughly 100,000.
Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar who won his first term in 2011, at age 29. In 2015 he publicly announced he was gay in a news- paper column. Five months later he won his second term as mayor with more than 80 percent of the vote.
He married his husband, Chasten Glezman, in June.
Buttigieg also served as a Naval Reserve officer in Afghanistan in 2014.
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