The Supreme Court began day two of oral arguments over the multistate lawsuit against President Obama’s health care reform law. Both sides presented arguments over the law’s most contested issue— the individual mandate that requires everyone to purchase insurance or pay a penalty.

The Supreme Court must decide if such a regulation fits under the Commerce Clause, which allows the federal government to regulate interstate activity. Essentially, both sides are debating the question of whether buying health insurance is economic inactivity or not.

According to SCOTUSblog, which has been giving real-time updates, the four more liberal members of the Court seem likely to vote in favor of the mandate, and the five conservative justices appear skeptical.


Arguments on the case will continue Wednesday over the issue of whether the law can survive without the individual mandate.

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