October 27, 2014 2:32PM # Top Ten Reasons You Should Attend Cato’s Conference on the *Halbig* Cases This Thursday By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) --- SHARE Here are ten reasons everyone should attend this Thursday’s Cato Institute conference, “*[Pruitt, Halbig, King & Indiana: Is Obamacare Once Again Headed to the Supreme Court?](https://www.cato.org/events/pruitt-halbig-king-indiana-obamacare-once-again-headed-supreme-court)*” 1. The very next day – October 31 – **the Supreme Court could grant *certiorari* in *[King v. Burwell](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2013/12/31/for-reporters-law-professors-citizens-a-reference-guide-to-president-obamas-illegal-obamacare-taxes/#king)***. Reporters who attend will be able to write their stories in advance. 2. Our luncheon keynote speaker, **Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt**, filed the [first](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2013/12/31/for-reporters-law-professors-citizens-a-reference-guide-to-president-obamas-illegal-obamacare-taxes/#pruitt) *Halbig*-style challenge in September 2012. (Does that mean I should call them “*Pruitt*-style challenges”?) Last month, a federal district court [sided](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/09/30/pruitt-v-burwell-irss-illegal-obamacare-taxesspending-suffer-another-defeat-in-federal-court/) with Pruitt against the federal government. Our morning keynote speaker, **Indiana attorney general Greg Zoeller**, filed the fourth such challenge, *[Indiana v. IRS](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2013/12/31/for-reporters-law-professors-citizens-a-reference-guide-to-president-obamas-illegal-obamacare-taxes/#indiana)*. A ruling is expected at any time. Pruitt and Zoeller will discuss why **they have [asked](http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Cert-Amicus-Brief-States.pdf) the Supreme Court to grant cert in *King***. 3. **We’ve already been *King*-ed!** The Center for American Progress and Families USA were so impressed (or worried) about our conference that they scheduled a conference call with reporters to piggyback on (or drown out) any coverage of our conference. Their teleconference is on Wednesday, October 29, at 10am ET. Dial in: 888–576-4398. Confirmation code: 1635383. 4. Case-Western Reserve University law professor **Jonathan Adler**, an [intellectual father](http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/07/22/en-bancing-on-halbig-and-general-assholery/) of the *Halbig* cases, will discuss recent and future court rulings. So will law professor **Jim Blumstein**, intellectual father of the Supreme Court’s Medicaid ruling in *NFIB v. Sebelius*, who also played a [seminal](https://www.ociservices.com/oops-no-obamacare-tax-credit-via-federal-exchanges/) role in the *Halbig* cases. 5. **Len Nichols**, who [advised](http://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Len%20Nichols.pdf) the Senate on state-run vs. federal Exchanges will explain why all this is nonsense. 6. Health-insurance industry expert **Bob Laszewski** will explore the possible [impact](http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/07/halbig-decision-puts-obamacare-back-on.html) of *Halbig*. 7. University of Washington law professor **David Ziff** will discuss how *Halbig* critics could [improve their arguments](http://ziffblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/halbig-statutory-interpretation-and-lessons-i-learned-in-practice/). 8. The Constitutional Accountability Center’s **Brianne Gorod**, who wrote the *[amicus ](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/03/19/halbig-v-sebelius-amicus-brief-of-baucus-harkin-pelosi-reid-et-alia-ignores-their-roles-in-the-aca-debate-gets-congressional-intent-completely-backward/)*[briefs](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/03/19/halbig-v-sebelius-amicus-brief-of-baucus-harkin-pelosi-reid-et-alia-ignores-their-roles-in-the-aca-debate-gets-congressional-intent-completely-backward/) filed by the members of Congress who wrote Obamacare, will explain what Congress really intended. 9. AEI’s **Tom Miller**, who [helped launch](http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-lawyer-who-helped-spark-this-weeks-affordable-care-act-rulings-1406231596) the *Halbig* cases, will explore how states might respond to a *Halbig* win. And finally, the number-one reason you should attend this conference… 1. **Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber will explain [his flip-flop on *Halbig*](http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/07/25/obamacare-architect-jonathan-gruber-if-youre-a-state-and-you-dont-set-up-an-exchange-that-means-your-citizens-dont-get-their-tax-credits/).** Ha! [Just kidding.](http://humanevents.com/2014/10/27/where-in-the-world-is-jonathan-gruber/) The real number-one reason is: these lawsuits have more of a shot than you thought, and you need to get up to speed. Register [now](https://ssl.cato.org:8443/catopublic/#MtgDetail/00000724). ##### Related Tags [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).