Legal Action
Peña Martínez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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- He won in the Federal District Court. U.S. District Judge William G. Young declared unconstitutional the unequal treatment between U.S. citizens living in the United States and Puerto Rico.
- President Biden's Administration appealed the District Court's decision.
- The case went to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Legal Action
- Following the decision issued for U.S. v. Vaello Madero, authorizing discrimination against U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico, the Biden administration seeks dismissal of Peña Martinez (applying the Vaello Madero decision).
- Conclusion: After being victorious in the District Court, we go to appellate court and are left empty-handed.
- More about our Legal Action here.
Legal Action:
On April 13, 2018, a group of Puerto Rico residents filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government, claiming equal treatment in terms of benefits under the federal programs on Supplemental Security Income ("SSI"), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP") and Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidies ("LIS"). According to the plaintiffs, excluding U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico violates the equal protection of the laws under the U.S. Constitution. All of the plaintiffs meet the requirements to qualify for one or more of the federal programs, but because they reside in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Government denies them access to them. Click here
