CJCL co-signs brief opposing individual mandate

Does the U.S. government exist to serve the people or do the people exist to serve the government?

That is the core issue in a national amicus brief joined today by the Center for Justice and Constitutional Litigation at the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

At stake, say NPRI President Andy Matthews and CJCL Director Joseph Becker, is whether the individual mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known popularly as Obamacare, is constitutional.

The amicus brief — linked below — urges the Supreme Court to affirm the Eleventh Circuit’s ruling that the mandate exceeds Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce. If the mandate were upheld, said the circuit court, no one could plausibly contend that the Constitution still limits federal power. Three days of oral arguments are scheduled to begin in six weeks.