On October 14, 2004, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that residents of Puerto Rico do not have the right to vote in presidential elections until the US territory either becomes a state or the Constitution is amended. The decision was the third time a federal court had denied attorney Gregorio Igartua's argument that Puerto Ricans are in a "state of servitude" through their ongoing disenfranchisement in federal elections despite being US citizens and having a sufficient population to be represented in the Electoral College.

Puerto Rican flag

Learn more about Puerto Rico's political status from the JURIST news archive.