About 50 health care reporters from the Association of Health Care Journalists’ Washington, D.C., chapter gathered at FierceHealthcare last month to toast the winter holidays.

The party, on Dec. 18, kicked off just one hour after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a ruling that health reporters everywhere had been watching: The judges ruled 2-1 that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate was unconstitutional, and sent the case back to the lower courts.

Some reporters were unable to attend the AHCJ event because they needed to file copy, while other reporters worked together or wrote quickly, and were able to arrive to the event later.

Journalists snacked on cheese, crackers, meatballs, and various dips and desserts. Attendees contributed food and beverages, and AHCJ contributed toward the cost of food and drinks.

The party marked the ninth annual for AHCJ’s D.C. chapter. Every year it offers reporters a casual atmosphere to network with each other and to celebrate the previous year’s work.

The party was hosted by AHCJ D.C. co-chair Tina Reed, executive editor at FierceHealthcare. Co-planners were Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Erin Mershon of Stat News.

Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) is a member of AHCJ’s Right to Know Committee and past co-chair of the Washington, D.C., chapter. She covers Congress, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services as a senior health policy reporter for the Washington Examiner.