With its 5-4 decision June 28, the Supreme Court upheld a majority of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, one of the cornerstones of Obama’s presidency. The law has faced scrutiny and criticism from its proposal in 2009 to its signing into law the next year and even in this year’s election cycle. The PPACA dominated national news, making terms like “public option,” “individual mandate” and “death panels” part of the public vernacular.. Writing in the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts made it clear the decision did not reflect the morality of the law, only its ability to stand under the Constitution.
“(Policy) decisions are entrusted to our nation’s elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them,” he wrote. “It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”