Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

OLYMPIA – The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta today issued a 2-1 opinion, ruling the federal government may not force individuals to purchase government-approved health insurance in the private marketplace.
SEATTLE – Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced that Washington filed a new lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The suit is a major development in the state’s longstanding fight to ensure timely cleanup of 56 million gallons of nuclear waste stored in Hanford’s leaky underground tanks, and continuation of the process to license Yucca Mountain as a deep geologic disposal site.
 OLYMPIA — The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta will hear oral arguments tomorrow in the multistate health care lawsuit suit filed last year. The suit now includes 26 plaintiff states, two individuals and the National Federation of Independent Business.
OLYMPIA – Today, 11th Circuit Chief Judge Joel Fredrick Dubina agreed to proceed with an expedited schedule for hearing the health care reform challenge that is before that court.  A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments on Wednesday, June 8, at 9:30 a.m. in Atlanta.
Senior US Judge Roger Vinson today in Florida clarified that his January 31 ruling—which declared the federal health care reform act unconstitutional—did in fact order the federal government to cease implementation of the Act. He added he would grant a stay of that decision if the federal government filed a notice of appeal within seven days and agreed to seek expedited review.
Individual mandate unconstitutional OLYMPIA — A Florida judge today ruled that Congress exceeded its Constitutional authority in approving a new health care mandate requiring all US citizens to have or purchase health insurance or face a fine. The ruling overturns the entire law.
The state’s political parties lost another battle against Washington’s popular Top 2 primary today, a loss state officials hopes will put an end to years of litigation.  US District Court Judge John Coughenour of the Western District of Washington at Seattle today ruled the Top 2 primary as implemented in partisan elections “is constitutional because the ballot and accompanying information eliminate the possibility of widespread confusion among the reasonable, well-informed electorate.”
OLYMPIA — Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna issued the following statement today regarding the decision of a federal judge in Virginia that a portion of the federal health care law is unconstitutional.
OLYMPIA — A multi-state lawsuit challenging portions of the federal health care reform legislation will move forward, a Florida Judge ruled today.
 McKenna will hold short telephonic media availability OLYMPIA — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will make its second argument before a US District Court judge this week as it continues to fend off constitutional challenges to the nation’s new health care law.

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