Thread by @lawrencehurley

Today, Supreme Court weighs whether it's unlawful to exclude Puerto Rico from a benefits program that all Americans on the mainland are eligible for:
reuters.com/world/us/us-su…

This is a case that the Biden administration continued despite criticism while also asking Congress to extend the SSI benefit to Puerto Rico, which it might do if the Build Back Better plan ever passes

One question is whether any of the justices will delve into the toxic legacy of the so-called "Insular Cases" from over a century ago that helped establish second-class status for Puerto Ricans. More here:

https://twitter.com/lawrencehurley/status/1442830578672361482?s=20

The case being argued today involves a guy called Jose Luis Vaello-Madero but there are potentially more than 300,000 Puerto Rico residents who could be eligible for the benefit at a cost of $2 billion annually if he wins his case

Vaello-Madero found out he was being sued by the federal government a few weeks before he lost the roof of his home in Hurricane Irma. Then Hurricane Maria came a couple of weeks later, devastating the island

Justice Gorsuch: "why shouldn’t we just admit that the insular cases were incorrectly decided?"

Justice Sotomayor: "Puerto Ricans are citizens and the Constitution applies to them. Their needy people are being treated different to the needy people in the 50 states."

An interesting argument has concluded with lots of broad strokes discussion about Puerto Rico's status. Despite probing questions of the federal government, it still seems like Vaello-Madero probably faces an uphill battle among the conservative justices

reuters.com/world/us/us-su…