Judge denies effort to force N. Dakota attorney general to withdraw from Obamacare suit

FILE PHOTO: A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

BISMARCK, N.D. — A judge has denied an effort led by North Dakota Democrats and others to force Republican Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem to withdraw from a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate former President Barack Obama’s health care law.

The Bismarck Tribune reports South Central District Judge James Hill denied the request Friday.

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North Dakota in June joined a coalition of 20 GOP-led states that argue that the Affordable Care Act is no longer constitutional after the Republican-backed tax overhaul eliminated fines for not having health coverage.

Democrats say if the lawsuit is successful, it would strip protections for thousands of North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions.

Stenehjem says the lawsuit will move forward even if the state withdraws.