Kinder delays lawsuit to challenge health care reform

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder said his legal challenge to the federal health care overhaul will be delayed.

Kinder, a Cape Girardeau Republican, said Wednesday that the lawsuit will be filed in late May or early June. He initially said he planned to sue by the end of April.

Kinder said he is still studying the lengthy federal health care overhaul and wants to ensure that the lawsuit includes all his concerns.

The lieutenant governor is raising private money for the legal challenge. He is being represented by Washington, D.C., lawyer Thor Hearne.

Hearne helped defend a 2006 Missouri law that required a government-issued photo ID to vote. The Missouri Supreme Court declared the requirement unconstitutional.