Federal Court in Atlanta Guts Health Care Overhaul

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the requirement in the president's health care plan that almost all Americans carry health insurance or face penalties was struck down Friday by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

In a 2-1 decision, the three-judge appeals court agreed with the 26 states that sued to block the mandate in the health care package. The AJC reports the decision found that "the individual mandate contained in the Act exceeds Congress's enumerated commerce power."

Friday’s decision reportedly wasn’t quite as far as that of the lower court that had invalidated the entire overhaul, but without that mandate, it is almost fiscally impossible for the rest of the package to function.

With three federal judges and one appeals court upholding the law and two others invalidating it, a decision will ultimately lie with the U.S. Supreme Court.