The question below was asked to the campaign of Republican Party Attorney General candidate Erik Wallin, following Thursday’s District Court ruling allowing the challenge to the Federal healthcare law challenge filed by a group of state Attorney Generals to go forward…

In responses to questions from Edward Fitzpatrick of the Projo in April and from Anchor Rising in August, Mr. Wallin has been a consistent supporter of a legal challenge to the new Federal healthcare law on Constitutional grounds. This past Thursday, Judge Roger Vinson of the Northern District Court of Florida ruled that “at this stage in the litigation, this is not even a close call…The power that the individual mandate seeks to harness is simply without prior precedent” in his decision allowing a challenge to the law by 20 state Attorney Generals to proceed. Does Mr. Wallin have a reaction to this most recent ruling and how it may impact the actions he would consider taking on behalf of the citizens of Rhode Island, with respect to the new Federal healthcare law, if elected as their Attorney General?

The recent decision by Judge Roger Vinson of the Northern District Court of Florida to allow the challenge against the Federal Health Care Law to go forward is good news to those, like me, who believe that “Congress has no constitutional authority to force the individual mandate and its penalty on Americans who cannot afford or do not wish to have health insurance.” I have chosen to challenge the Obama Health Care Law for two reasons. First it is unconstitutional. Second, like everything else the Federal Government does, I firmly believe Rhode Island, as a state, and our small business and individual citizens will be left covering the massive costs of what will likely become another federal unfunded mandate.

I believe it is paramount for the Rhode Island Attorney General to protect the rights of our state and our citizens from overreaching by the Federal Government. Further, when the Federal Government fails to carry out its responsibilities, for example its failure to protect our borders from illegal immigration, then we as a state must be allowed to protect our own citizens. That is exactly what I will do, protect our individual rights and freedoms and those of our State, period.