Diversity Symposium & Awards

The Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion presented a demonstration argument of U.S. v. Vaello-Madero, an equal protection challenge to the denial of SSI benefits to residents of Puerto Rico because of territorial status as interpreted by the infamous Insular Cases. The Insular Cases represent de jure discrimination against the residents of Puerto Rico and various U.S. territories based on racist assumptions about their inhabitants. The Insular Cases remain on the books despite several opportunities for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn them. The Vaello-Madero case offers the Court another chance to overturn the Insular Cases and to affirm that full equal protection applies to citizens of the U.S. territories.

Speakers

Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy, NYS Appellate Division, 1st Department

Hon. Lizbeth González, NYS Supreme Court Appellate Term, 1st Department

T. Andrew Brown, Esq., Brown Hutchinson LLP

Anthony Ciolli, Esq., Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands

Hon. Jenny Rivera, NYS Court of Appeals

Erica G. Glenn, CUNY School of Law

Roselby M. Sosa, CUNY School of Law

Ayana M. Tan, CUNY School of Law

Nesha R. Christian-Hendrickson, Esq., U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Labor

Natalie M. Gomez-Velez, Esq., CUNY School of Law