Spectators line up for 3-minute thrill in court
Ticket holders happy to get glimpse of history
WASHINGTON — A line of people streamed up the Supreme Court steps Wednesday morning, clutching golden tickets as if they had a chance at a chocolate factory.
Instead, they’d waited for hours to spend three minutes inside the Supreme Court during the Affordable Care Act hearings.
They found that three minutes gave them more than they had hoped for: Each person came out with a story, a feel for how the justices interact and a little piece of history.
The justices debated whether parts of the 2010 health care law could still stand if the individual insurance mandate was found unconstitutional.
“We wanted to show the boys how the process works,” said Lynne Rooney of Lake Oswego, Ore., as she emerged from the courthouse with Nick Rooney and Logan Insinga, both 15, and husband Sean Hoar. “We’re fortunate to be here for such a big topic.”
When they walked in, they heard Justice Stephen Breyer talking about how scrapping the whole law, rather than just the requirement that most people buy health insurance — if, indeed, they do that — shouldn’t mean the end of all the benefits in the law.
“Breyer picked up on breastfeeding and preventive care and argued that they had nothing to do with the last two days in the court,” Hoar said.
“It was really cool to see how they talk and how they debate,” Nick said. “They’re really smart — they used a lot of big words.”
Savannah Winton, 13, of Portland, Ore., said as she waited in line that, after watching the TV show Law & Order, she wants to be a lawyer. “This is a huge opportunity for me.”
She stood in line with Vaughan Maraele of Washington, who said he believes the case will affect Savannah’s future, even if she doesn’t have a clear understanding of it now. He sees an immediate impact: He has two older children who can stay on his health insurance plan until they are 26 because of the law.
Barbara Bensoussan and Ranhee Lee traveled from Los Angeles, where they are law students at the University of California.
Both said that during their three minutes, the justices — all of them — seemed irritated at the government for presenting cases irrelevant to the issue at hand. Lee said Justice Clarence Thomas leaned back, arms and legs sprawled, while other justices held their faces in their hands.
Bensoussan, originally from France, said she was excited to be a spectator in the courtroom. “For me, it’s kind of a dream come true,” she said. “I would like to be a justice clerk after law school.”
Lee, from South Korea, said she was interested because her country has universal health care.
Both said they loved seeing the whole process. “People are so active and so engaged,” Bensoussan said. “It gives you back trust in America.”