By Greta Fenzl, Contributing Writer

If you can remember allll the way back to before Republican state committee last weekend, you’ll recall that Pennsylvania conservatives were delighted by the decision of Harrisburg-based U.S. Justice District Judge Christopher C. Conner that the health care reform law is unconstitutional.

Though we’re behind on this, it’s important to note that former Senator and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum wants everyone to know just who pushed him for appointment in 2002.

With a concise 52-page decision, Conner ruled ‘Obamacare’ unconstitutional on the grounds that the federal government does not have the power to require citizens to purchase anything. Those types of powers are reserved for the states, he said.

Santorum is particularly supportive of this decision, as he was the one who recommended Conner as an appointee under Bush a decade ago, while Santorum was serving in the U.S. Senate.

While also reminding voters of his own dedication to repealing the law, Santorum praised Conner for his decision, releasing a statement in which he deemed Judge Conner’s ruling “a victory for freedom, for American jobs and for the constitution.”

The case brought up in Harrisburg is one of 30 around the country challenging Obama’s health care bill, and was filed by a self-employed Etters, PA couple. Finding that health insurance premiums were exceeding their mortgage payments, the couple chose to pay for medical costs out of pocket. This type of independent household health care funding would not be allowed under the new law.

Conner wrote in his opinion that not only is it unconstitutional for the federal government to require these purchases, but also his opinion of how they can go about it in other ways. Popular or not, he reminded the feds that they could fund this type of programs through increased taxes to boost revenue.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear similar cases regarding the constitutionality of the universal health care plan in the near future, as the law requiring all Americans to buy health insurance goes into effect in 2014.