Comparing the debate to the infamous Dred Scott case
, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., says the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act isn't the final word.In a brief editorial,
Paul also addresses criticisms for his earlier dismissal of the high court's powers to declare what is constitutional. He also mentions the
Plessy v. Ferguson decision that made racial separation legal in the U.S. under Jim Crow as an example of the high court being wrong about what is constitutional.From
USA Today:
While it is clear to anyone who was awake in high school civics class that the Supreme Court has the power to declare whether a law is valid under the Constitution, that power is not a pronouncement set in stone. Think of how our country would look now had the Supreme Court not changed its view of what is constitutional. Think of 1857, when the court handed down the outrageous Dred Scott decision, which said African Americans were not citizens. Think of the "separate but equal" doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson, which the court later repudiated in Brown v. Board of Education.
In a telephone interview with WFPL, Congressman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., made a similar argument to Paul, saying that the health care discussion would be an ongoing political debate.The
Republican-controlled House is scheduled to hold another vote to repeal the law on July 11. Although it is expected to pass it is being called a political roll call for the fall that has be given little chance in getting through the Democratic-controlled Senate.
