A judge was asked by the Obama administration to clarify the scope of his ruling invalidating federal health-care reform legislation after Alaska's governor said the law no longer applies in his state.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson in Pensacola, Florida, last month ruled that the portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that mandates people procure minimum coverage starting in 2014 is unconstitutional. He then granted a request by 26 states to invalidate the entire law, saying the mandate was integral to all aspects of the statute.

The federal government, in papers filed with Vinson yesterday, asked him to clarify whether that decision relieves the suing states of their rights and obligations under the act while the U.S. pursues an appeal.

Read the complete Bloomberg story, “Obama Administration Seeks Clarification on Scope of Health-Care Ruling.”