The Justice Department is already signaling its willingness to “vigorously defend” the health-care reform law that has been challenged as unconstitutional by a group of attorneys general.
In a statement to Main Justice, a DOJ spokesman said:
The Department of Justice defends statutes that have been passed by Congress and signed by the President and are therefore the law of the United States. Accordingly, we will vigorously defend the constitutionality of the health care reform statute, along with any other claims, in any litigation that is brought against the United States. We are confident that this statute is constitutional and we will prevail when we defend it in court.
As we’ve reported, the government appears to have by far the better of the argument. But it’s nonetheless significant that the Justice Department is already going public with a show of confidence.