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Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General, weighs in on the individual mandate arguments heard at the Supreme Court today.
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-- Texas attorney general Greg Abbott is in DC Greg.
Wanted to say Texas one of the first states to actually -- to help Kellogg also sat in on today's session so we wanna certainly thank you for joining us.
First wanna get your take on what we just heard Justice Kennedy a lot of people work who are against the mandate -- pretty excited with his initial are questioning.
Well Charles this was a big day for Texas for all the states you know in Texas by the lawsuit.
Where -- -- thirteen states have filed his lawsuit today we have 26 states more than half of the states in this country.
Who are suing the federal government because this unprecedented.
Overreach a mandate.
That was argued before the court today one last democratic comment -- that is it it be recalled two years ago.
Nancy Pelosi and others were ridiculing.
The State's attorneys general for having the audacity to file this lawsuit.
Now those critics have suddenly been silence when they realize they may be losing their threshold or are -- you know.
Unique piece of legislation that was passed the during the Obama administration.
Because of what happened in the courtroom today.
What happened a -- today is that you saw justices like candidate just escalated chief Justice Roberts Justice Alito.
Who really grilled.
They solicitor general for the United States who was arguing on behalf of -- obamacare.
And in doing so you can -- get a feel for where these justices stood.
And they seem to stand very strongly on the side of striking down -- is overreaching law.
Yesterday at the end of the at the is that the close of the business yesterday.
The conventional wisdom was that they would see this as a penalty that attacks.
You sound like you're leaning -- saying the conventional wisdom right now is that the Supreme Court.
Probably stands ready to strike down the individual mandate is that true.
If you had to go by the questions or comments from the justices on the bench today.
You would say that it looks like they're going to strike down obamacare but it as they former.
Texas Supreme Court justice I will tell you you can be mistaken about reading too much into what the justices say from the bench but I would say it was a clear win for those who wanna see Obama.
Care stricken down today in the core rent.
-- can't read too much into body language because it at the end of the day the vote is what matters here let me ask you -- -- state the -- Texas jumped almost immediately on the constitutionality.
Issue.
Questioning its validity along with -- 25 other states let me ask you.
Is a -- said hand for you and for your state just see individual mandate what does that -- if we seen a circumstance.
That struck down but everything else held up and tax.
Would you still support obamacare and -- -- form.
Well -- -- that is stricken down that means as the government will argue tomorrow.
But the funding mechanism for obamacare will have been eliminated in it would be practically impossible for the remainder of the law to stamp.
But assuming in that it does stand.
There are all these other man days that -- saying.
Our -- on almost a monthly basis they give rise to future legal challenges.
-- go back to what Nancy Pelosi said she said the got a pass it to find out what's in it the -- we find out what's -- -- -- -- we find legal challenges to raise so hopefully the whole thing will be stricken down the whole thing will go away.
-- will force congress to go back and start over again and come up with a health care bill that addresses the needs of Americans and does so in a way that satisfies the constitution.
Legal challenges and costs Austin and will unravel once we start to see this thing work in -- let me also ask you how confident.
You are that we're gonna get -- -- verdict in June there is talk about maybe.
Postponing this until 2014 or even later I mean do you think we're gonna get a verdict in -- what happens if we get struck down only continue to challenge that's.
Well I feel very -- we will get a decision in June the argument yesterday was focused on whether or not.
The court should press pause on this and decided at a future date you could tell from the comments of all the justices on the bench yesterday.
They wanted to go ahead and decided the Supreme Court to be politicize every case is argued during a session by the into that session that would mean the decision should come out at the end of June.
-- it does so I think the entire thing will be stricken down.
Bernard Dan on that -- we wanna thank you Greg Abbott Texas attorney general view on the first wants to step up -- we'll see what happens in just a couple months appreciate it.
Thank you Charles and that brings us to our question of the day if --
