Judge Rejects Health Care Challenge

A federal judge in Virginia threw out a lawsuit on Tuesday that had charged that Obama’s healthcare law is illegal, a major victory for the landmark legislation that has faced several challenges. Liberty University, a conservative Christian college, had sued the federal government, claiming the law’s individual insurance mandate was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Norman Moon disagreed, interpreting the law as legal under the Commerce Clause. Obama has said the penalties received from violators of the law would not function as a tax, and Moon concurred, writing that they are not designed to raise revenue. The Obama administration applauded the decision, which is the second major ruling backing the health care overhaul. The coast certainly isn’t clear, though: Challenges in at least 20 other states remain.