BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

On Thursday morning, in a landmark decision, members of the U. S. Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding the individual mandate and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The court’s decision came about in a 5-4 vote with Chief Justice John Roberts supporting the law.

The court ruled that while the mandate is ruled unconstitutional under the Constitution’s commerce clause, the law is permitted as part of Congress’s power under a taxing clause.

While the ruling was a dramatic victory for President Obama and his administration, it was a devastating defeat for the Republican Party who has vehemently opposed the law.

Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the ruling, “the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.”

Chief Justice Roberts was joined in the majority vote by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. The dissenting votes were casts by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy.