For Lawyers, Health Case an Exhausting Marathon

It's a big day in Washington as the Supreme Court prepares for the opening arguments over President Obama's health care law. Teams of lawyers on both sides have been deep in preparation, staging mock arguments that have nearly drained the city of attorneys up for playing the role of justices, the New York Times reports. The case will be an "enormous endurance challenge" for the two lawyers at the heart of the case, says a former acting solicitor general.

That's because Paul Clement, leading the charge against the law, and counterpart Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. face lengthy debates over a wealth of topics in the case. They'll both be arguing three times during the six hours dedicated to the case, and the former solicitor general, who has argued in more than 20 high-court cases, says doing so for even 30 minutes is enough to wipe you out. "The day or two after a Supreme Court argument, I just basically collapse," he says. Click through for the full preview of the case. (More Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act stories.)