Virgin Islands official urged Justice Department to stop relying on Insular Cases

A Virgin Islands government official called on the U.S. Department of Justice to stop relying on the Insular Cases during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 20, 2024.

Teri Helenese, the territory’s director of state and federal relations, said the court decisions had treated residents of U.S. territories as second-class citizens and denied them the same constitutional rights and democratic participation as other Americans.

Helenese said the rulings conflicted with principles of democracy, self-determination, decolonization and equality. She also said Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. viewed the decisions as having enforced a century of disenfranchisement and second-class status for Virgin Islanders.

Quoting Bryan, Helenese said, "Virgin Islanders deserve to enjoy the full range of civil and political rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution."

She urged the Justice Department to abandon its reliance on the Insular Cases.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/bryan-administration-supports-calls-for-end-to-insular-cases/