"The judge saved for another day the decision on the merits of two claims, and we remain confident that the law ultimately will be upheld," she said. "This case is in the early stages of litigation and the department will continue to vigorously defend this law."
The judge, in a 65-page ruling from Pensacola, made clear that his decision in response to a motion by the Obama administration to dismiss only addresses whether the court has jurisdiction to consider the case and that the suit makes a "plausible claim for relief," not the merits of the arguments.
Stephanie Cutter, an assistant to President Obama for special projects, wrote in a blog posting on the White House website, that the administration expects it ultimately will win the case.
"Since the enactment of health reform legislation in March, Republican attorneys general in several states have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act," she wrote. "Having failed in the legislative arena, opponents of reform are now turning to the courts in an attempt to overturn the work of the democratically elected branches of government.
"This is nothing new," she wrote. "We saw this with the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act - constitutional challenges were brought to all three of these monumental pieces of legislation, and all of those challenges failed. So too will the challenge to health reform."
Though there have been several others, the challenge to the law brought by the 20 states is the most expansive.
In federal court in Virginia, the state separately is challenging the law on the basis it conflicts with a state law passed by the general assembly earlier this year that says people in Virginia cannot be forced to purchase health insurance.
Last week, a federal judge in Michigan dismissed portions of a lawsuit brought by the conservative Thomas More Law Center that argued Congress exceeded its authority by forcing people to buy health insurance.
Ms. Schmaler, referred to the Michigan ruling in a statement released Thursday, saying "the only court that has decided the constitutionality of this law has sustained it and found that the minimum coverage provision was a reasonable step for Congress to take in reforming the nation's health care system."
But Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said Judge Vinson's ruling moved those challenging the law "one step closer" to having it overturned. The NFIB is a party in the case.
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