A federal judge in Pensacola, Florida ruled today that a key element of the health care law passed by Congress last year is unconstitutional.
The Associated Press reports that senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson sided with Texas and 25 other states, which claimed that the law's requirement for people to buy health insurance or face a financial penalty violated an individual's rights. A federal judge in Virginia drew the same conclusion in a similar lawsuit in mid-December. Two other federal judges have upheld provision of the healthcare law, which may now be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is expected to make remarks about today's ruling late this afternoon.
