If a federal court agrees with the Department of Justice's argument that the Affordable Care Act's rules around pre-existing medical conditions are no longer constitutional, then the Republican states pursuing the lawsuit only want those rules lifted in their states, Inside Health Policy reports.

The bottom line: Legal scholars across the political spectrum have slammed DOJ's position to stop defending the ACA, and the new filing from the plaintiffs "appears to be an effort to prevent further litigation and protest," according to Inside Health Policy.