Judge Roger Vinson’s Monday decision was not the first time a federal judge struck down the portion of the federal health care reforms that requires most Americans to either buy insurance or pay a penalty. # A Virginia judge ruled against that provision in December, in a case separate from the one brought in Pensacola by Florida and 25 other states. But one line, on page 76 of Vinson’s 78-page opinion, summarizes what sets his decision apart: “Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void.” # The Virginia decision struck down the mandate more narrowly, leaving the rest of the law intact.