Palacios says it’s time for US Supreme Court to reconsider rulings on Insular Cases

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said on Wednesday that he believes it is time for the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its rulings on the Insular Cases.

Palacios said in an interview that the Insular Cases were carved out at a completely different time and different world.

“We live in insular areas. We’re part of the U.S. There’s really is no reason for that kind of policy,” he said.

The Insular Cases are series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that many describe as racist amd that broke from prior precedent to justify colonial governance in the U.S. territories.

Recently, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VA) were joined by civil rights groups and other allies to call on the U.S. Department of Justice to condemn and cease its reliance on the Insular Cases.