U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
Last July, U.S. District Judge William Griesbach dismissed the lawsuit.
On Tuesday, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its own ruling.
what eye thynk: In order to challenge a law in court, you can't just say "I don't like it," you have to show that you are hurt by it, and Ron Johnson's legal team came up with a truly creative way to demonstrate the Senator's torment: They asked the court to deny healthcare subsidies to anyone working on Capitol Hill. Yes, that's right. Not only members of Congress, but their clerks, secretaries and go-fers, whether they could afford it or not, should be forced to pay the full price of their health insurance, because (here's the creative part) by allowing staffers to take advantage of the subsidies, Senator Johnson would suffer "reputational and electoral injury." In other words, allowing Capitol Hill employees the opportunity to take advantage of the subsidies available to the rest of America could be interpreted as support of the law Senator Johnson loves to hate.
On Tuesday, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago decided against Mr. Johnson, affirming the lower court's ruling. The decision was unanimous.
Writing for the panel, Judge Joel Flaum said, "Respectfully, we do not see how Senator Johnson's reputation could be sullied or his electability diminished by being offered, against his will, a benefit that he then decided to refuse. He could not be accused of participating...if he declined to participate."
Mr. Johnson replied to the ruling, "My legal team and I will carefully review the decision before determining our next step in this important constitutional dispute. We've lost a battle in court, but we will continue to move forward in our effort to return sanity, fairness and balance to government on behalf of the American people."
I'm sure his staff are especially appreciative of his efforts, because, really, who wouldn't be willing to pay more for the honor of working for such a man?
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