Two federal judges in one of the most conservative appeals courts in the nation appeared ready on Tuesday to fall for the most specious legal challenge that the Affordable Care Act has faced — which is saying something.

The two Republican-appointed judges on the three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — Jennifer Elrod (appointed by George W. Bush) and Kurt Engelhardt (appointed by President Trump) — seemed to have little patience for the arguments in defense of Obamacare presented by lawyers for the House of Representatives and a group of blue-leaning states. (The third judge on the panel, a Jimmy Carter appointee , remained quiet during the arguments.)

The 2010 health care law is under fire once again because of a ruling by a federal judge in Texas in December, in which he declared the law unconstitutional .

Legal experts across ideologies criticized that decision. The Trump administration , which has long waged war against President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, has more or less embraced the lower court’s ruling.