BARACK OBAMA signed his health reform into law on March 23rd, 2010.

Within minutes Floridas attorney-general had filed suit against the law, along with 12 other states. Since then they have been joined by the National Federation of Independent Business, four private individuals and 13 additional states. Starting today the Supreme Court will hear their case. A decision is expected by the end of June. Most political brawls are drummed-up follies, but the fight over health-care reform is legitimately historic. The law is the biggest achievement of Barack Obamas presidency. If it survives, Democrats say, it will expand and transform American health care. Republicans, though, see it as a government intrusion into private affairs. If the law is upheld, they say, no area of American life will be safe. Americas highest court usually devotes one hour to arguments. For this case it will devote six hours, spread over three days. The Economist has a seat for the proceedings; we'll be posting our thoughts on Wednesday, and a detailed story will appear in next weeks issue. In the meantime, here is a guide to the arguments. Reams have been written about the case. This guide attempts to provide a simplified summary. Readers hungry for additional information should visit the American Bar Association, the SCOTUS blog and the ACA Litigation blog, which are stocked with briefs and other resources. C-SPAN has a video of a great debate between Paul Clement (the lawyer for the states), Mike Carvin (the lawyer for the National Federation of Independent Business), Neal Katyal (a former Solicitor General) and Akhil Amar (a constitutional law professor at Yale).

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How fuel prices have changed in a year FOR motorists in many countries the cost of filling up a car has never been so great. As the gasoline price in America has moved towards the $4 a gallon ($1.06 cents per litre) mark, it has become a entangled in the election campaign. In February, America's drivers were paying 93 cents a litre, 12% more than they were a year earlier. However, the cost in other rich nations may offer some comfort. Italians are forking out over 18% more than they did 12 months ago; only the Dutch and the Norwegians now pay more for fuel. Despite paying record prices at the pump, Britons have seen lower fuelprice inflation than most because of a freeze on a planned increase in duty. Much of the increase is down to the oil price, which has risen by 15% because of supply concerns.