At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States transformed itself into an empire, acquiring overseas territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. This program examines the ongoing legacy of the Insular Cases and how legal frameworks like the territorial "incorporation doctrine" have profoundly influenced the rule of law in U.S. territories. It then discusses recent Supreme Court decisions related to the arbitrary and unequal treatment of the residents of U.S. territories and Congress' role in addressing these constraints.
November 16, 2023
125 Years of Empire: Examining the Separate and Unequal Status of U.S. Territories
Welcome Remarks
Mary L. Smith – President, American Bar Association; Vice Chair, VENG Group; Chair, Caroline and Ora Smith Foundation
Panelists
- Charles Ala’ilima – Attorney, Law Office of Charles V. Ala'ilima
- Adriel I. Cepeda Derieux – Deputy Director, ACLU Voting Rights Project
- Dr. Carlyle G. Corbin – Senior Analyst, The Dependency Studies Project
- William Fife – Professor, Northern Marianas College
- Anne E. Lopez – Attorney General, State of Hawaii
- Lia Fiol Matta – Senior Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF
- Hon. Linda Murnane – Associate Justice, High Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)
- Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett – Representative for the At-Large Congressional District of the United States Virgin Islands
- Jaqueline Terlaje – President, Guam Bar Association
- Sherry Levin Wallach – Immediate Past-President, New York State Bar Association; Deputy Executive Director, The Legal Aid Society of Westchester County
Moderator
Daniel Immerwahr – Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities, Northwestern University; Author, How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States
Co-Sponsors: ABA Center for Public Interest Law, ABA Division for Public Education, ABA Section of State and Local Government Law, American Civil Liberties Union, Bar Association of Puerto Rico, Guam Bar Association, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, National Native American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Right to Democracy, Virgin Islands Bar Association
Resources
ABA Territories Engagement and Recommendations | Bruce Leal
Resolution and report of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on the U.S. Territories - First Task Force Report, November 2022
The Supreme Court 2022 Term | Harvard Law Review, Vol. 137, No. 1 (November 2023)
The People v. Hate Campaign | National Association of Attorneys General
Introduction to “The Future of the Insular Cases” Special Issue | Lía Fiol-Matta
Columbia Human Rights Law Review Spring 2022
Enough with the Insular Cases! The Tragedy of Vaello Madero | Lía Fiol-Matta
CUNY Law Review November 2022
The Scourge of the Insular Cases: Ending Constitutional Apartheid in Puerto Rico | Lía Fiol-Matta
Co-authored with Francisca D. Fajana
Revista Jurídica Universidad de Puerto Rico October 2023
An Anomalous Status: Rights and Wrongs in America’s Territories October 2022, Fordham Law Review | Lía Fiol-Matta, Panelist: “The United States’ Colonies Problem”
When the Supreme Court Ignores Race-Based Inequities in Citizenship and Sovereignty for Puerto Ricans and Others Born in U.S. Territories, What Can be Done? | Lía Fiol-Matta
Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, June 2, 2023
The Insular Cases: It’s Time to Turn the Page | Lía Fiol-Matta, Bloomberg Law, March 14, 2022
After Vaello Madero, the Fight Continues | Lía Fiol-Matta, The Mother Court, Federal Bar Association of the Southern District of New York, Summer 2022
Indigenous Rights: A Pathway to End American Second-Class Citizenship | William J. Fife III & Beylul Solomon
Indigenous Rights: A Vehicle to Address Mental Health and Academic Outcomes in the CNMI | William J. Fife III & Beylul Solomon
VIDEO | Marianas participates in historic summit with territories
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