Puerto Rico Loses at U.S. High Court on Right to Prosecute
Detail image of the columns on the west front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on May 20, 2016, in Washington.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Puerto Rico lost a U.S. Supreme Court clash that raised questions about its sovereignty, as the court said the island can’t prosecute two men who already pleaded guilty to federal gun charges.
The 6-2 ruling said Puerto Rico isn’t equivalent to a state for the purpose of the Constitution’s double jeopardy clause, which bars multiple prosecutions for the same conduct. The Supreme Court has previously permitted separate prosecutions by a state and the U.S. because they are independent sovereigns.