Leid Stories – 10.06.15

Puerto Rico: U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Case on Political Status

Ferguson, Missouri, Being Readied for Forced Bankruptcy

Among 13 new cases the U.S. Supreme Court will review in its current term is Puerto Rico v. Valle. The case asks whether a person tried, acquitted or convicted under U.S. federal law can be prosecuted for the same crime under Puerto Rico law. The case seemingly is about constitutional protections against double jeopardy. But at the heart of it is the long-simmering—and unresolved--issue: What is the political relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico?

Lyle Denniston, legal historian and constitutional literacy adviser to the Philadelphia-based National Constitution Center, and  Dr. Victor M. Rodriguez, professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at California State University of Long Beach, tackle both issues.

In a commentary Leid Stories reveals that the City of Ferguson, Missouri, is being readied for a forced bankruptcy.