HEALTH CARE

Supreme Court Urged to Rule Quickly on Health-Care Law

Could influence the 2012 presidential election.

Both sides on the health-care debate agree on one thing: they want the Supreme Court to make a speedy ruling. The 26 states that have filed to overturn President Obama's health-care law and the Obama administration have asked the Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether the legislation is constitutional. While the administration did not say why it wanted a quick ruling, the court's decision could influence the 2012 presidental election—for either side. The National Federation of Independent Businesses is making a similar attempt at getting the court to reverse the entire law, not just the individual mandate that would penalize anyone who doesn’t purchase insurance. John Paul Stevens, the retired Supreme Court justice, also urged the court to settle the matter quickly—before the presidential election.