Bryan filed Supreme Court brief in Vaello-Madero case on territorial benefits

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the plaintiff in U.S. v. Vaello-Madero, Government House said on September 8, 2021.

The case concerned Jose Luis Vaello-Madero, a Puerto Rico resident who had received Supplemental Security Income benefits while living in New York. According to the Government House statement, the federal government ended those benefits after he moved to Puerto Rico and sued to recover more than $20,000.

The brief, filed by Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, argued that U.S. citizens living in the territories were denied federal rights and benefits based on residence. It urged the Supreme Court to affirm the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in the case.

Government House said the 1st Circuit in February 2019 upheld a 2018 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico that excluding Puerto Rico from the Supplemental Security Income program violated the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

The statement said the U.S. Department of Justice appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court in September 2020.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-files-amicus-brief-in-u-s-supreme-court-supporting-rights-of-territories-in-u-s-v-vaello-madero/