Appeals court sets July hearing in ObamaCare case

A federal appeals court has set a July 9 hearing date in the appeal of a judge’s decision to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will hear arguments in the case challenging a federal judge’s ruling that ObamaCare is unconstitutional, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, ruled in December that the ACA could not stand without the individual mandate, which Republicans repealed as part of the 2017 tax law.

O’Connor’s decision came in response to a challenge to the law from 20 GOP-led states.

The U.S. Department of Justice sided with O’Connor’s ruling, sparking a widespread backlash from Democratic lawmakers, and some Republicans.

Democratic state attorneys general are appealing the ruling, hoping that the 5th Circuit will overturn O’Connor’s decision and uphold the law. Legal experts have said they expect O’Connor’s ruling to be overturned.

O’Connor said that ObamaCare will remain in place during the appeal process.