Maine Attorney General William Schneider said he has taken the first step toward joining Florida and other states challenging the constitutionality of the federal health care reform law.

At Schneider’s request, the state of Florida is asking for court approval to allow Maine and several other states to join the federal lawsuit.

Schneider said in a news release he believes the court will decide within several weeks whether to allow the states to join the lawsuit. If successful, he said, the lawsuit would eliminate only the portions of the health reform law being challenged as unconstitutional, including a mandate that individuals buy insurance.

Both Schneider and Gov. Paul LePage have criticized the law, while the Maine Medical Association and other advocacy groups have urged them not to join the challenge.

“Health care in the United States is at a critical point and needs to be fixed so that all citizens have access to good quality and affordable health care,” Schneider said in the release. “However, the repairs to the system cannot be based on an unconstitutional foundation.

“The federal health care reform law mandates all citizens to purchase health insurance or pay a costly penalty. This would be an unprecedented expansion of federal power, violating the 10th Amendment and Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.”