memeorandum: Health Law Hearings Open in Supreme Court (Adam Liptak/New York Times)

2:10 PM ET, March 26, 2012

Top Items:

Health Act Arguments Open With Obstacle From 1867 — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday starts three days of hearings on the constitutionality of the 2010 health care overhaul law, an epic clash that could recast the very structure of American government.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill, Althouse, DCist, The Stranger …, msnbc.com and emptywheel

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza / The Atlantic Online:

How Obamacare Will Be Settled: A Primer on the Commerce Clause — As the Supreme Court hears arguments about the individual mandate, a complete look at the history of similar constitutional decisions. — Amid rampant speculation over the fate of Obamacare in the Supreme Court …

Discussion: SCOTUSblog and The Agonist

Ezra Klein:

Wonkbook: Absolutely everything you need to know about health reform's Supreme Court debut — Today's the day. The Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments as to the constitutionality of various provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Note that phrase: “Various provisions.”

Discussion: Slate, Washington Monthly, Democracy in America, Taylor Marsh, Bloomberg, Balkinization, New York Magazine, The Daily Dish, The Reaction, New York Times, Politico and The Volokh Conspiracy

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Health Law Hearings Open in Supreme Court — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday began three days of epic arguments over the 2010 health care overhaul law with a sort of appetizer — a 90-minute debate over whether the Court yet has the authority to hear the case.

Discussion: Reuters, TalkLeft, CNN, Law Blog, Washington Post, ACS Blog and Truthdig

Washington Wire:

Recap: Obama Health Law at the Supreme Court … The Supreme Court, starting Monday, is hearing three days of arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama's health overhaul. A ruling is expected in late June. On Monday, the justices hear arguments on whether to shelve the entire case until 2014 …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Mediaite, SCOTUSblog, aca litigation blog and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

David Nather / Politico:
Pick an ending: 6 ways the Supreme Court might rule

Discussion: The Hill, Hoover Institution, The Hill, Wake up America, The Moderate Voice and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:

President Obama Asks Medvedev for ‘Space’ on Missile Defense — ‘After My Election I Have More Flexibility’ — SEOUL, South Korea — At the tail end of his 90 minute meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Monday, President Obama said that he would have “more flexibility” …

Jennifer Epstein / Politico:

Obama asks Russia for ‘space’ through election — SEOUL - President Barack Obama offered a private request Monday to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for some “space” on missile defense ahead of November's elections. — “On all these issues, particularly on missile defense, this …

Discussion: CNN, Weasel Zippers and Betsy's Page

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Obama tells Russia he'll have ‘more flexibility’ after election

Discussion: GOP 12, Indecision Forever and Hot Air

CBS News:

NYT reporter: Santorum outburst was for cameras — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — (CBS News) — When presidential hopeful Rick Santorum lost his cool with the press on Sunday, he was playing to the cameras to build support among conservative Republicans, the New York Times reporter who was on the other end …

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, The Caucus, Outside the Beltway and The Huffington Post

Walter Shapiro / The New Republic: The Sad End of the Gingrich Campaign

Mj Leeand Tim Mak / Politico:
Rick Santorum defends ‘bulls—’ comment

Discussion: CNN, Daily Kos and iOwnTheWorld.com

Jonathan Martin / Politico:
GOP race nears tipping point

Discussion: CNN

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Rick Finally Wins Catholics; Farewells to Newt Begin

Discussion: Mediaite and LifeNews.com

Dylan Byers / New York Times:
Santorum ‘ready to take on the NY Times’

Discussion: The Huffington Post, GOP 12, National Review and The Moderate Voice, more at Mediagazer »

Rene Stutzman / Orlando Sentinel:

Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head — With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Gawker and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Mj Lee / Politico:
Gov. Rick Scott: Give George Zimmerman ‘due process’

Discussion: protein wisdom, Hit & Run and The Hill

EURweb:
Witness Says He Saw Trayvon Attack Zimmerman (Video)

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Newsy

Matt Gutman / ABCNEWS:
Trayvon Martin Killing Lead Prosecutor Says George Zimmerman Could Walk

Discussion: The Huffington Post, ABCNEWS and msnbc.com

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

Argument recap: Moving on to the mandate — When Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., commented at the end of Monday's first day of hearings on the health care law, “We'll continue argument on this case tomorrow,” it seemed to have a secondary meaning even if he did not intend it.

Discussion: aca litigation blog and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Philip Klein / Campaign 2012:

SCOTUS skeptical of idea that mandate is a tax — On the first day of oral arguments in the case challenging President Obama's national health care law, justices seemed skeptical that the individual mandate should be considered a tax — one of the main consitutional defenses being offered for the law.

Discussion: Hot Air and American Spectator

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Today's Threshold Issue

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Reality-Based Community and Jay Bookman

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Obama's health law proving successful — Just in time for the two-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the law's constitutionality this week. — This is a political column.

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin

CBS News:
Poll: 47% disapprove of Obama health care law

Discussion: Firedoglake, NationalJournal.com, The Caucus, The Raw Story, Guardian, LifeNews.com and New York Times

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
PRESS ADVISORY: ‘Republicans For Mandating Coverage’ Calls On The Supreme Court To Uphold Health Reform

Discussion: Blue Virginia

Tim Mak / Politico:

Rabbit ‘shot’ in strange new Herman Cain video — Former presidential candidate Herman Cain released a video Monday involving the depiction of a rabbit that is shot by a rifle after being launched into the air. — The graphic scene is supposed to represent “small business under the current tax code,” a young girl narrates.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and DCist

Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box: Cain video shows rabbit catapulted, shot

BuzzFeed:
In His Best/Worst Video Yet, Herman Cain Shoots A Bunny

Discussion: Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Lobbyists, Guns and Money — Florida's now-infamous Stand Your Ground law, which lets you shoot someone you consider threatening without facing arrest, let alone prosecution, sounds crazy — and it is. And it's tempting to dismiss this law as the work of ignorant yahoos.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Moderate Voice, Questions and Observations, The Mahablog, Daily Kos and Paul Krugman

Ker Than / National Geographic:

James Cameron Completes Record-Breaking Mariana Trench Dive — Solo sub dive is deepest ever. — The explorer-filmmaker emerges from his sub after returning from Challenger Deep. — Ker Than — At noon, local time (10 p.m. ET), James Cameron's “vertical torpedo” …

Discussion: Guardian, ABCNEWS, News Desk, Towleroad News #gay, The Daily Caller, Associated Press and Deadline.com

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Dogs and Cats Living Together — It often happens that when campaign negativity reaches a fever pitch, a candidate will take a small step back from the vitriol and say something like, “My opponent is a nice guy—he's just wrong about everything.” What they almost never do, however, is say …

Discussion: Mother Jones