Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle
| Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle | |
|---|---|
 dual sovereignty doctrine does not apply to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Therefore, the Double Jeopardy Clause bars Puerto Rico and the United States from successively prosecuting a single person for the same conduct under equivalent criminal laws. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kagan, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Alito |
| Concurrence | Ginsburg, joined by Thomas |
| Concurrence | Thomas (in part) |
| Dissent | Breyer, joined by Sotomayor |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. V; Puerto Rico Arms Act of 2000 | |
Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle, 579 U.S. ___ (2016), is a
In essence, the clause establishes that an individual cannot be tried for the same offense twice under the same sovereignty.
The petitioner claimed that Puerto Rico has a different sovereignty because of its political status while others claimed that it does not, including the respondent, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, and the Solicitor General of the United States.[2]
In a 6–2 decision, the Court affirmed that the Double Jeopardy Clause bars Puerto Rico and the United States from successively prosecuting the same person for the same conduct under equivalent criminal laws.
The decision was affirmed 6-2 in an opinion by Justice
Justice Breyer filed a dissenting opinion in which Justice Sotomayor joined.[3]
Political implications
The argument appears to diminish the constitutional stature that the Puerto Rican government thought that it had since the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 and subsequent ratification of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Liptak, Adam (January 13, 2016). "Justices Hear Case Over Puerto Rico's Sovereignty". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle".
- ^ "Opinion analysis: Setback for Puerto Rico's independent powers (UPDATED)". June 9, 2016.
External links
- Text of Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle, 579 U.S. ___ (2016) is available from: Justia Oyez (oral argument audio) Supreme Court (slip opinion)