The Supreme Court and Puerto Rico: The Doctrine of Separate and Unequal

by Juan R. Torruella

THIS BOOK DEALS WITH ONE OF THE BY-PRODUCTS OF THE SPANISH -AMERICAN WAR OF 1898. THE INSULAR CASES AND PUERTO RICO. DECIDE BY THE SUPREME COURT IN 1901.

Genres: Politics, Law, History

320 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 1985

Reviews

[José]

The Supreme Court and Puerto Rico is a seminal analysis of the Court’s Insular Cases and their discriminatory effect on the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico. Torruella, a former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, explains how the tenets of manifest destiny and American imperial aspirations at the end of the 19th century found their way into the rulings of the Supreme Court justices, who, abetted by several Harvard scholars, proceeded to fabricate the legal theory of territorial incorporation that has kept Puerto Rico in a state of political limbo for over 100 years. Torruella then discusses how the Insular Cases directly and indirectly influenced Puerto Rico’s current state of affairs: a society dependent on federal grants whose second class citizens lack both the full spectrum of their civil rights and the political power to uphold their best interests. This is essential reading for any supporter of Puerto Rican decolonization and of equality for the nearly four million U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico.

[Yasmin Tirado-Chiodini]

I only read a few portions of this book, as I used it for reference purposes. This is an excellent reference for anyone interested in understanding the political and legislative history of Puerto Rico during and after the transition to becoming a U.S. territory, and the resulting issues arising from such transition. The author is a Federal Judge with the highest credentials and a brilliant mind.