April 19, 2012 News 3

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Supreme Court reviews Affordable Care Act

The possible unconstitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s plan for equal access to healthcare, was recently brought to the attention of the Supreme Court.

An East Texas spine-and-joint hospital brought the challenge to the court. The original issue, prior to the appeals court, was a provision in the health care law prohibiting doctor-owned hospitals from expanding their facilities.

However, controversy broke out when President Obama was quoted saying, “I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically-elected Congress.”

Some interpreted President

Obama’s statement as an effort to intimidate the courts, saying that the Supreme Court does not have the power to overturn laws. However, others argue that this was referring to the judicial precedent of trusting the legislative branch to make constitutional laws.

The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the appeals to the health care challenge. The decision will be made by a three-judge appeals panel. They are expected to reach a consensus in June of this year. The decision of the Supreme Court would be the official decision, regardless of the decisions made by the lower courts based on the appeals they heard.

Stephanie BradyNews Writer

Paul Clement, the lawyer defending the states opposed to the Affordable Care Act, talks to the media following the Supreme Court session on March 28, 2012. AP Images

Model United Nations attends conference at Northern Iowa On April 12, Xavier’s Model United Nations team attended the Model United Nations 48th Annual Spring Conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Each spring, the Iowa High School Model United Nations Organization hosts a large scale conference for high school students. The conference is held on the University of Northern Iowa campus. Students attending this conference model the procedure of the United Nations in New York City, but in a slightly modified format. Each school is assigned countries to represent, and students are selected to become delegates from their countries. Each delegate is assigned to a specific committee, with topic ranging from security to legal practices. Every student then writes a paper outlining their position on the issue they have been assigned. At the conference, the students work with delegates from all over Iowa to debate the issues they have been assigned and draft resolutions in order to solve the problems facing the international community today.

At this year’s conference, Xavier students represented delegates from Colombia and Egypt. Students served on a wide variety of committees, including the Political and Security Committee, the Disarmament Committee, and the Security Council. This year, 16 students from Xavier attended the conference, along with the Model United Nations advisor, Donna Winter. “I love doing Model United Nations,” junior Kristin Swanke said. “I learned a lot this year and it is a great way to meet new people.” Seniors Megan Kundel and Kerry McCartan, junior John Peloquin, and sophomore Zach Schnoeblen won awards at the conference for Outstanding Position Papers. “Model UN is great because you get to discuss world issues and hand out with your friends,” Peloquin said.

Anna BusseNews Writer