Puerto Rico Statehood Status lawsuit is rejected

Federal Judge Salvador Casellas rejected a lawsuit filed by a statehood supported, that claims the U.S. Congress to resolve the political status of the island claiming the 1898 Treaty of Paris puts this responsibility in the hands of the legislature. Josue Orta Rivera, through his attorney Nicolas Nogueras, argued in his lawsuit that the action of the U.S. Congress extending U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans and approving the creation of the Estado Libre Asociado (commonwealth government) allowed the approval of a Constitution that did not satisfy the decrees in the Treaty of Paris. "The guarantee of statehood or independence required legislative action by Congress, subject to presidential veto, and neither of the defendants, as individuals, can take to Congress the legislation in favor of statehood or independence and control if the President approves or vetoes the law," Casellas said in his decision, issued Monday. [more ]