Demand Justice Statement on Federal Appeals Court Ruling to Threaten Affordable Care Act

Demand Justice to Run Ads Against Senator Susan Collins for Voting to Confirm Anti-Obamacare Judge

WASHINGTON, DC—Demand Justice Executive Director Brian Fallon released the following statement on Wednesday after two Republican judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is unconstitutional:

“This decision is a partisan attack on the Affordable Care Act and the millions of Americans with preexisting conditions who rely on it for access to health care. This ruling makes clear that the Republican hijacking of our courts is an existential threat to health care for millions of Americans, and progressives need a plan to fight back.

“By invalidating the individual mandate, these two Republican judges signaled a willingness to embrace far-right legal theories and set the table for striking down the entire Affordable Care Act, including protections for people with preexisting conditions.

“The fact that these Republican judges referred part of this case back to a lower court is not cause for a sigh of relief. It seems rather like a cynical attempt to insulate the Republican Party from the political backlash that would surely ensue in 2020 if the full law were struck down prior to next November.

“We will not wait to hold Republican politicians accountable for creating this threat to the ACA. We will be launching digital ads in Maine shortly to hold Sen. Susan Collins accountable for her vote to confirm Kurt Engelhardt, the Trump judge who provided the swing vote in this case, putting care for millions at risk.”

An example of the ad appears below.

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