WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 31, 2018) – Today, Americans United for Life submitted a “friend of the court” brief on behalf of a coalition of 90 Members of Congress to the United States Supreme Court, asking the Court to review the petition for review filed by the State of Louisiana in Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast.
The case involves a challenge to a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that—based on its interpretation of congressional intent in the Medicaid Act—found that individual Medicaid patients have a private right of action to challenge a State’s determination disqualifying their preferred Medicaid provider in federal court.
“Members that joined this brief have an interest in seeing courts restrained from speaking where Congress has not spoken,” said Americans United for Life President and CEO Catherine Glenn Foster. “The decision below violates the constitutional authority of Congress to dictate the contours of the Medicaid Act, including the process for appeal of State decisions to disqualify providers. As it stands, different States are subject to different requirements under the same Act of Congress. Americans United for Life is proud to give Members a voice in this case.”
AUL argued, on behalf of the Members, that implying a private right of action would greatly undermine the purpose of the Medicaid Act by hamstringing the flexibility of individual State Medicaid programs envisioned by the Medicaid Act and eliminating States’ ability to determine the best way to allocate their limited public funds to those in need.
The Members’ efforts were led by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi in the U.S. Senate, and Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both Mississippi and Louisiana are in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Members coalition is comprised of 24 Senators and 66 Representatives.
To read the full brief, click here.
The full list of signers to the brief is below:
U.S. Senate
| Roger F. Wicker (MS) | Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) | John Kennedy (LA) |
| John Cornyn (TX) | Ted Cruz (TX) |
| John Boozman (AR) | Tom Cotton (AR) |
| Marco Rubio (FL) | Chuck Grassley (IA) |
| Joni K. Ernst (IA) | James E. Risch (ID) |
| Pat Roberts (KS) | Jerry Moran (KS) |
| Roy Blunt (MO) | Steve Daines (MT) |
| Thom Tillis (NC) | Deb Fischer (NE) |
| James M. Inhofe (OK) | Tim Scott (SC) |
| M. Michael Rounds (SD) | Orrin Hatch (UT) |
| John Barrasso, M.D. (WY) | Michael B. Enzi (WY) |
U.S. House of Representatives
| Mike Johnson (LA-04) | Steve Scalise (LA-01) |
| Clay Higgins (LA-03) | Ralph Abraham (LA-05) |
| Garret Graves (LA-06) | Trent Kelly (MS-01) |
| Gregg Harper (MS-03) | Steven Palazzo (MS-04) |
| Louie Gohmert (TX-01) | Sam Johnson (TX-03) |
| John Ratcliffe (TX-04) | Joe Barton (TX-06) |
| Mike Conaway (TX-11) | Randy Weber (TX-14) |
| Bill Flores (TX-17) | Jodey Arrington (TX-19) |
| Lamar Smith (TX-21) | Pete Olson (TX-22) |
| Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) | Brian Babin (TX-36) |
| Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04) | Paul Gosar (AZ-04) |
| Andy Biggs (AZ-05) | Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) |
| Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) | Tom McClintock (CA-04) |
| Doug Lamborn (CO-05) | Ted Yoho (FL-03) |
| Daniel Webster (FL-11) | Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) |
| Drew Ferguson (GA-03) | Jody Hice (GA-10) |
| Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) | Steve King (IA-04) |
| Randy Hultgren (IL-14) | Jim Banks (IN-03) |
| Todd Rokita (IN-04) | Andy Barr (KY-06) |
| Andy Harris (MD-01) | Bill Huizenga (MI-02) |
| Ann Wagner (MO-02) | Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) |
| Walter B. Jones (NC-03) | Mark Walker (NC-06) |
| David Rouzer (NC-07) | Richard Hudson (NC-08) |
| Robert Pittenger (NC-09) | Mark Meadows (NC-11) |
| Tedd Budd (NC-13) | Kevin Cramer (ND-At Large) |
| Christopher H. Smith (NJ-04) | Steve Pearce (NM-02) |
| Steve Chabot (OH-01) | Brad Wenstrup (OH-02) |
| Bob Latta (OH-05) | Bob Gibbs (OH-07) |
| Warren Davidson (OH-08) | Tom Cole (OK-04) |
| Steve Russell (OK-05) | Scott Perry (PA-04) |
| Ralph Norman (SC-05) | Phil Roe (TN-01) |
| Diane Black (TN-06) | Marsha Blackburn (TN-07) |
| Glenn Grothman (WI-06) | Liz Cheney (WY-At Large) |
