In a somewhat surprising and extremely controversial decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's signature health care law Thursday morning.
The 2010 law's mandate that every American purchase health insurance or face a fine had been challenged on constitutional grounds by 26 U.S. states.
The mandate was upheld as a tax, however, by a 5-4 vote.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal wing of the court. Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog says Roberts effectively "saved' the Affordable Care Act.
Opponents cast the law, known pejoratively as "ObamaCare," as the federal government forcing citizens to enter a market and buy a product against their will.
The government countered that the law was actually only regulating an existing market, as everyone requires health care at some point in his or her life.
Roberts and Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg sided with the government and declared the law valid.
U.S. House Republicans have vowed to repeal the entire law if President Obama is defeated, although that would also require control of the U.S. Senate.
In any case, the Supreme Court ruling signals a major victory for Obama, who sacrificed major political capital to get the controversial law passed.
For now, the liberal dream of universal health care - some of which is already in effect, but the bulk of which is on hold in 2014 - remains realized.
Do you support universal health care?
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