On this week’s episode, We the People examines United States v. Vaello-Madero, a case involving U.S. citizen Jose Luis Vaello-Madero who claims the exclusion of Puerto Ricans from the Supplemental Security Income program violates the Constitution. Vaello-Madero began receiving Supplemental Security Income while living in New York but then moved back to Puerto Rico. When the government found that out, it cut off Vaello-Madero's benefits and sued him because, though SSI is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands, it is not available in Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories.
Host Jeffrey Rosen is joined by Neil Weare, president and founder of Equally American who was raised in the U.S. territory of Guam and previously worked for Guam’s non-voting Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, and Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus, the George Welwood Murray Professor of Legal History at Columbia Law School who was raised in Puerto Rico and specializes in studying the legal issues surrounding Puerto Rico. Weare and Ponsa-Kraus explain the case, recap its oral argument at the Supreme Court, and walk us through the history of how Puerto Rico and its residents have been treated under the Constitution and by the U.S. government.
FULL PODCAST
This episode was produced by Jackie McDermott and engineered by Kevin Kilbourne. Research was provided by Sam Desai, Michael Esposito, Chase Hanson, and Lana Ulrich.
PARTICIPANTS
Neil Weare is president and founder of Equally American. Raised in the U.S. territory of Guam, Neil previously worked for Guam’s non-voting Delegate Madeleine Bordallo. And, Neil was previously Litigation Counsel and Supreme Court Fellow at Constitutional Accountability Center
Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus is the George Welwood Murray Professor of Legal History at Columbia Law School. Raised in Puerto Rico, she studies the legal issues surrounding Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and has written widely about these issues. She is currently working on a study of recent legal developments affecting the status of the U.S. territories.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- United States v. Vaello-Madero oral argument transcript
- Califano v. Torres (1978)
- Harris v. Rosario (1980)
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
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