Puerto Ricans seek right to vote for president

caribbeannet: The US Supreme Court has an opportunity to review its doctrine of colonialism established a century ago in the infamous Insular Cases which relegated residents of Puerto Rico to second-class citizenship.

Chief plaintiff Gregorio Igartua de al Rosa has led a decade-long legal battle to obtain the right to vote for President, filing three lawsuits over the span of time. In 2000, the dedicated Puerto Rican attorney won a US District Court ruling ordering a presidential vote only to have the First Circuit reverse his victory days before the November election.

Coming back a third time, Igartua de al Rosa v. United States, US Supreme Court, 05-650, led to a split in the First Circuit with Judge Juan Torruella and Judge Jeffrey Howard dissenting.

"The situation is so discriminatory..."

The petition for writ of certiorari tells the story. "The situation is so discriminatory that an American citizen can move residence to any state, and vote in a Presidential Election. If that same citizen moves residence to any country in the world he can still continue to vote absentee, except that, if he moves his residence to Puerto Rico, he loses the right to vote in Presidential elections." Read more