Court rejects Puerto Rican federal voting rights

A federal appeals court for the third time rejected a Puerto Rican attorney's request that island residents be allowed to vote in presidential elections. Prior rulings by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston denied residents of Puerto Rico federal voting rights until the U.S. territory becomes a state, or until the Constitution is amended to allow it. The 2-1 decision Thursday again rejected attorney Gregorio Igartua's claims that Puerto Ricans are in a "state of servitude" by not having federal voting rights. "Our prior opinions canvass the relevant constitutional landscape," two judges wrote. "We need only observe that Igartua has raised no argument that would bring the matter outside the usual `rule that earlier decisions are binding.'" Igartua proclaimed victory, however, in the dissenting opinion of Judge Juan Torruella, who compared the situation to imperialist England and 1950s segregation in U.S. public schools. "This is a good basis to request reconsideration from the whole court," Igartua, who plans to file for reconsideration before the full appeals court, told The Associated Press. Igartua called Torruella's dissent "historic for Puerto Rico." [more ] and [more ]

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