On August 11, 2013, a federal judge ruled that the State of Oklahoma has standing to proceed with a lawsuit challenging an Internal Revenue Service rule issued in May 2012 regarding premium subsidies in the form of tax credits and penalties delivered through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchange provisions. Oklahoma’s Attorney General Scott Pruitt […]
There are a lot of Latin phrases you learn when you’re in law school. Some of them have even made their way into common, everyday English! One of those is the warning caveat emptor, “Let the buyer beware.” Expressed in more modern terms, caveat emptor serves the same purpose as the reminder that, if a… more
This letter was sent to Senator Johanns on November 12, 2012. Dear Senator Johanns, As I wrote you earlier, if the Republicans caved on the debt limit issue they would pay a price at election time. Well, the party leadership not only caved, they compounded their foolishness by agreeing to automatic future budget cuts that… more
Readers are referred to a Local View column published today, April 13, 2012, in the Lincoln Journal-Star that was co-written by Shelli and me. In the article, we argue that Governor Heineman should use the opportunity presented by his veto of LB599 to draw a line against the Unicameral’s profligate spending. I recommend that readers… more
From my article of November 2, 2011, “TransCanada Trojan Horse: Keystone XL Pipeline Will Increase Gas Prices“: “The TransCanada Keystone Xl pipeline project will result in increased gas and diesel prices in 15 Midwestern States – to the detriment of those states’ citizens and economies.” While I continue to ponder the question… How much more… more
As of Friday, nine people know the outcome of the states’ lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Congress’ inaptly named “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” a/k/a Obamacare. The Justices voted at a closed-door conference, but we won’t know what they concluded until June. They and their clerks will spend the time between now and June… more
On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court, heard oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the single most talked-about provision contained in the health care “reform” act passed by a deeply divided Congress in 2010. Listening to the audio and reading the transcript was a textbook example of the “echo chamber effect,” which, in… more
Editor’s Note: For an overview of the health care case oral arguments at the Supreme Court, click HERE. “Nothing is certain but death and taxes,” they say. Unfortunately, there’s some UNcertainty about what is, and is not, a tax at the U.S. Supreme Court, and Monday we all got a chance to listen in on… more
I’ve been fascinated in listening to the oral arguments at the Supreme Court (click HERE for basic information about the argument schedule and subjects to be covered). But, I’ve also been frustrated. It’s as if I am a child, out in a corridor, listening to a conversation coming from inside a room. It’s a strange… more
UPDATES noted in red: Last update, Sunday, April 1 @2:46pm The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on health care “reform” cases in three sessions on three days this week, beginning today, Monday, March 26. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the case, widely expected in June of this year, is of obvious historic importance,… more