Opinion 8-1 was written by Judge Brett Cavanaugh, with Judge Sonia Sotomayor disagreeing.
The case concerns the extra income for security that is available to people living in the 50 states who are over 65, blind or disabled. But residents of Puerto Rico and other parts of the United States are excluded from receiving the funds.
“When developing tax and benefit programs, it is prudent for Congress to take into account the overall balance of benefits and burdens for the people of Puerto Rico,” Cavanaugh wrote. “At the same time, Congress does not need to compare the dollar to the dollar in how its tax and benefit programs are implemented in the states compared to the territories, whether on an individual or collective level.
Sotomayor, whose parents were born in Puerto Rico, wrote the only special opinion. “Equal treatment of citizens should not be left to the whims of the political process,” she said.
“Because Puerto Ricans do not have the right to vote in Congress, they cannot rely on their elected representatives to correct the punitive differences suffered by Puerto Rican citizens in the unequal treatment of Congress,” Sotomayor wrote.
Steve Vladek, an analyst at CNN’s Supreme Court and a professor at the University of Texas Law School, called the case “a big deal for both what it contains and what it opens the door to.”
“The main view is that Congress is allowed to withhold certain federal benefits from Americans living in territories like Puerto Rico, as long as there is some rational basis for doing so and that no special justification is required,” Vladek said. “This makes it much easier for Congress, a body in which territories are not represented, to treat residents of those territories differently from those who live in the states – not only for extra security income, but for all federal programs. for benefits such as Social Security, Medicare and other rights financed at least in part by taxes paid by residents of those territories. “
The case involves Jose Luis Vaelo-Madero, who was born in Puerto Rico in 1954 but lived in New York from 1985 to 2013. In 2012, he was recognized as eligible for post-stroke disability benefits. which are deposited directly into his check account.
After returning to Puerto Rico in 2013, Vaelo Madero continued to accept payments until the government was notified that he now lives outside the 50 states. He was told that his benefits would be suspended and that he owed the government $ 28,081 to pay. His lawyers later sued, arguing that the expulsion of Puerto Ricans violated the 14th Amendment Equality Clause.
Hermann Ferre, a lawyer for Vaello-Madero, said the program aims to replace the “uneven patch of programs” for people with disabilities with a “single standard of national support” so that poor Americans and Americans with disabilities can live in dignity. .
“But this guarantee does not benefit all Americans,” he said, arguing that the court should view elimination with suspicion because it excludes Puerto Ricans based on their race.
The Biden administration defended the exclusion, noting that most Puerto Ricans are exempt from federal taxes, so Congress can take this reduced contribution into account when excluding them from certain disability benefits. An attorney general stressed that it would be up to Congress to expand the benefits, and President Joe Biden has already called on Congress to do so.
“It is always appropriate for Congress to take into account the overall balance of benefits and burdens associated with a particular federal program,” Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon told judges during oral hearings.
This story was updated with further details on Thursday.
Devan Cole of CNN contributed to this report.
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