(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Thursday, in a long-anticipated decision, upheld the Affordable Care Act in a case challenging whether the individual mandate can be severed from the rest of the law — or whether the whole law must be struck down.

The court ruled 7-2, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing for the majority, striking down a lower court ruling, saying the plaintiffs did not have standing.

“We conclude that the plaintiffs in this suit failed to show a concrete, particularized injury fairly traceable to the defendants’ conduct in enforcing the specific statutory provision they attack as unconstitutional. They have failed to show that they have standing to attack as unconstitutional the Act’s minimum essential coverage provision. Therefore, we reverse the Fifth Circuit’s judgment in respect to standing, vacate the judgment, and remand the case with instructions to dismiss,” Breyer wrote.

The fate of Obamacare will likely have far-reaching political consequences for President Joe Biden and potentially for an estimated 21 million Americans currently covered by the landmark Obamacare law, including many with preexisting conditions.

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