Health care ruling puts Cuccinelli in national spotlight

A Virginia judge’s ruling last week that the federal government can’t make people buy health insurance was a major victory for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, raising the profile of the state’s top lawyer well beyond the Old Dominion and leaving many to ponder what’s next for the conservative firebrand. Cuccinelli’s decision to fight President Obama’s health care reforms in a Virginia court, rather than join another lawsuit filed in Florida by 20 other states, surprised some and encouraged critics who dismissed it as a political ploy.

With characteristic certitude, Cuccinelli defended his decision to go it alone, saying he was defending a Virginia law that stipulates that state residents can’t be forced to buy health insurance.