Washington, DC, USA. The question of whether states should sue over federal health care reform is a legal matter that is quickly turning into a partisan wedge issue, pitting governors against their own attorneys general in states where they come from different political parties.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard (D) is refusing to join lawsuits filed by 14 of his counterparts — all of them Republicans except Louisiana’s Buddy Caldwell — because he considers legal action “a waste of scarce taxpayer dollars,” says The Arizona Republic. “These lawsuits will be considered in federal court with or without Arizona’s participation,” Goddard said.

Goddard’s position has prompted Republican Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to mull calling a special session “that would give her explicit permission to sue the federal government on the state’s behalf over the legislation signed into law Tuesday by President Barack Obama,” the Republic reported.

Washington, DC, USA. Many legal experts, including prominent conservatives, are casting doubt that legal challenges promised by state Republican officials will succeed in striking down federal health insurance reform. President Obama signed the first piece of the health care legislation Tuesday (March 23), and a growing number of governors, state attorneys general and lawmakers are positioning themselves to challenge the new laws in court.

One tactic some states are taking is to try to "opt out" of the law, an approach taken by Idaho and Virginia. (Later this year, Arizona voters will decide whether they, too, want the state to exempt itself from the federal law.)

Several legal experts told National Public Radio that those attempts are likely doomed. "The notion that a state can just choose to opt out is just preposterous," former Reagan administration Solicitor General Charles Fried told NPR. "One is left speechless by the absurdity of it."

Washington, DC, USA. The package of health care legislation passed by the U.S. House Sunday night (March 21) would bring major changes to patients and the medical system that treats them, but it also could shake up state government in ways felt in the courtroom, on the campaign trail and in regulatory offices.

Three Republican state attorneys general (Florida, South Carolina and Virginia) are chomping at the bit to challenge the planned changes in court. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli vowed to file suit "as soon as the ink is dry" from President Obama's signature, The Washington Post reports.

Cuccinelli's legal reasoning for attacking the scheme hinges on a mandate that would require individuals to buy health insurance. He says the requirement goes beyond Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce, the rationale for federal action.

Albany, NY, USA. Gov. David Paterson (D-NY) replaced a governor caught up in scandal. Now Paterson is accused of wrongdoing and declines to run for election. Facing a myriad of challenges, including a $9 billion budget shortfall, Paterson finds it difficult to be effective in his final months in office.

New York’s governors have often left an imprint. DeWitt Clinton linked the East to the Midwest through the Erie Canal. Cousins Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt ascended to the White House. Nelson Rockefeller was a big thinker who launched ambitious programs in education, urban housing, race relations, mental health, parks and fiscal policy.

Mario Cuomo inspired a generation with his plea that we must be the family of New York, feeling one another's pain, sharing one another's blessings. Today, the family of New York is dysfunctional and definitely feeling pain.

Washington, DC, USA. Mississippi is a tough-on-crime state, and in 1995, like many tough-on-crime states, it approved a version of “truth in sentencing” — a popular law requiring inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their prison terms before they could be considered for parole.

More than half the states have similar laws on the books. Mississippi, however, changed course two years ago. Responding to budget constraints and a surge in its prison population — from about 12,000 inmates in 1995 to more than 22,000 in 2008 — lawmakers revisited truth in sentencing.

They changed the law so nonviolent offenders would be eligible for parole after serving a quarter, not 85 percent, of their sentences. Over the course of the next year, more than 3,000 inmates were released an average of 13 months earlier than they otherwise would have been.