The United States Supreme Court on April 25 denied a petition by the Virginia Attorney General to expedite review of the Affordable Care Act.
In early February, Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli filed a writ of certiorari before judgment with the Supreme Court, with the goal of expediting a judicial review of the law. In the filing, Mr. Cuccinelli argued, "Given the importance of the issues at stake to the States and to the economy as a whole, this Court should grant certiorari to resolve a matter of imperative public importance."
The Supreme Court, however, declined to grant the petition. There was no comment accompanying the decision.
Mr. Cuccinelli’s filing on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia came after a December ruling that the state’s challenge of the ACA could stand. A federal government appeal is still pending in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In response to the Supreme Court decision, Mr. Cuccinelli said in a statement, "We asked the [court] for expedited review of our lawsuit because Virginia and other states are already spending huge sums to implement their portions of the health care act, businesses are already making decisions about whether to cut or keep employee health plans, and citizens are in limbo until the Supreme Court rules.
The suit will be heard in the Fourth Circuit Court on May 10, Mr. Cuccinelli said.