The short answer is that administration officials don’t expect it to, in any meaningful way.
But yesterday’s ruling was ambiguous enough on this score that you’re now seeing conservative state officials gloat that the law is “dead,” and won’t be reanimated “unless and until it is revived by an appellate court.”
One state official anyhow.
The technical explanation has to do with the fact that Judge Vinson didn’t enjoin the law, and instead entered a declaratory judgment against it. Without getting into all the details, that puts the law in a sort of limbo where technically the government can proceed with implementation, without running afoul of the ruling, but states can object to their efforts and then its back to court.
But as I understand it, the Obama administration could (and very well may) seek to stay the ruling, and they’d likely prevail very, very quickly. Within days if not hours. So this is all largely bluster unless neither the district nor higher courts agrees to grant the stay. And that’s almost unthinkable.
In other words this is likely just a minor speed bump for HHS et al, and implementation will continue promptly.
