President Biden in an indirect ‘win’ for American Samoa self-determination, has weighed in behind use of the Insular Cases in a Social Security dispute in Puerto Rico. KHJ News Washington, DC correspondent Matt Kaye explains…
Biden backed his Justice Department in its June 7th filing with the Supreme Court against a lawsuit by a Puerto Rico man who claimed SSI benefits, arguing Congress should fix the problem, instead.
Justice’s filing and Biden’s backing it, based on the High Court’s early 20th Century Insular Cases, is an apparent ‘win’ for American Samoan self-determination—and for Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata Radewagen.
Amata was the lone hold-out among island representatives at a mid-May House Resources hearing who backed a resolution opposing the Insular Cases as ‘racist.’
For Amata, the greater cause was self-government–
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The Congresswoman is sending a letter to President Biden thanking him for in effect, backing the Insular Cases and vindicating her position, that possibly deals a ‘death blow’ to the committee resolution, spearheaded by Guam’s Equally American Chief Neil Weare.
Chairman Raul Grijalva and other members, except for Amata wrote to the Attorney General and Solicitor General in March to tell the Supreme Court they no longer backed laws denying the islands equal access to benefits.
The Administration’s position now signals, should the Fitisumanu case reach the Supreme Court, the Justice Department will again use the Insular Cases in opposing automatic birthright citizenship in American Samoa.
