Court rejects Kentucky governor's Medicaid lawsuit

The intrigue: A group of 16 Kentuckians sued the federal Health and Human Services Department for approving Kentucky's plan for work requirements, saying it violates Medicaid's stated purpose.

• They won the first round of that challenge. A judge in Washington, D.C. blocked Kentucky's rules from taking effect at the end of June.
• In addition to intervening in that case, Bevin also took the unusual step of countersuing those same constituents.
• A federal court in Kentucky dismissed Bevin's countersuit today.

Between the lines: Bevin's countersuit was always a long shot, but if had worked, it could have moved the dispute over work requirements into a more conservative court. The litigation will instead remain before Judge James Boasberg — the judge who blocked the new rules earlier this summer.