The legal case against the Affordable Care Act may have just become weaker. And it’s not because of anything that happened in Washington. It’s because of something that happened in Florida: The filing of bankruptcy papers by Mary Brown, who until recently owned and operated an auto repair shop near Pensacola.

Brown’s story, which the Wall Street Journal reported in Monday’s editions, seems genuinely heartbreaking: From the sounds of things, the twin shocks of the recession and the Gulf oil spill basically killed her business. One former employee tells the Journal that Brown fought “every day” to keep the shop going. Another describers her as “professional, truthful, honest" and adds that "she really took care of us."

But Brown isn’t just any old small business owner. She’s the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against health care reform that the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and 26 states filed in 2010. Yes, that’s the same case the Supreme Court just agreed to hear – the case that could determine whether Obamacare, as it’s come to be known, will stand or fall.

The Journal story – the product of excellent reporting by Emily Maltby, Vanessa O’Connell, and Jess Bravin* – focuses on the new legal issue that Brown’s financial situation raises: She may no longer have the standing to sue. According to the article, the bankruptcy makes it more difficult for Brown to claim that the Affordable Care Act will harm her interests, since she can no longer claim it will damage her business. In addition, the article states, her financial situation makes it more likely she wouldn’t even be subject to the mandate – again, calling into question whether she can claim the law would harm her.

I’m not a lawyer, so I’m really in no position to adjudicate the standing question. Among other things, this particular lawsuit has another named plaintiff. NFIB certainly thinks the case can go on, just as before.