The ObamaCare ruling: A lose-lose proposition for the Supreme Court?
A new Pew poll shows that no matter how the high court rules on the health-care law, most Americans will be unhappy
Washington, and much of the rest of the country, is waiting nervously for the Supreme Court to hand down its big decision on the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare. But you might as well "save yourself the bother and just get ticked off now," says Mark Z. Barabak at The Los Angeles Times. According to a new poll from Pew Research Center, Americans will be unhappy no matter how the court rules: Striking down the whole law will dissatisfy 48 percent of people, versus 44 percent who'll be happy; throwing out just the individual mandate bombs, 51 percent to 40 percent; and upholding the whole law fares worse, 51 percent to 39 percent. Is the Supreme Court really bound to lose in the court of public opinion, or is there a path to coming out of this ruling relatively unscathed?
The justices' best bet is to uphold the law: The Supreme Court won't make everyone happy with its ruling, but it can at least assure a skeptical public that it isn't full of partisan hacks, says Juan Williams at The Hill. After a decade of narrow 5–4 conservative victories, from Bush v. Gore to Citizens United, public confidence in the court is "the most fragile it has been in a generation." Another highly political 5–4 split striking down ObamaCare "may do irreparable harm" to the court, and the justice system.
"Defeat of health care law would erode voters' trust in Supreme Court"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If popularity matters, strike down ObamaCare: "Williams is right that in terms of public confidence, ideally the court would come out with a unanimous or near unanimous decision," says Jonah Goldberg at National Review. But it won't. And given how unpopular the law is, according to other polls, "it's hard for me to see how the public will view a 5–4 decision to uphold a law they don't like as more legitimate than a 5–4 decision to strike down a law they don't like." Ideally, though, the court will ignore the polls and rule based on the specifics of ObamaCare.
"Undermining the voter's trust?"
The only winner in this poll is ignorance: The "most dispiriting" part of the Pew poll is that two years after its passage, only 18 percent of respondents claim to understand the law well, versus 31 percent who don't understand it well or at all, says Greg Sargent at The Washington Post. Broadly speaking, the less people know about the law, the more they want the court to throw it out. Maybe that's bad messaging by Democrats, or "the Right's very successful sowing of confusion," but if the Supreme Court kills ObamaCare, it seems few people will know what they're missing.
"If SCOTUS kills Obamacare, will Americans even know what was lost?"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 carefully selected cartoons about the Trump-Daniels jury selection process
Cartoons Artists take on a stress-free life, rare peers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Loire Valley Lodges review: sleep, feast and revive in treetop luxury
The Week Recommends Forest hideaway offers chance to relax and reset in Michelin key-winning comfort
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published