Supreme Court Won’t Undo Nullification of Pro-Labor Law in Puerto Rico

The Supreme Court refused this week to review an appeals court ruling that upheld the power of Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board to nullify the territory’s pro-labor law in 2022.

The ruling leaves in place a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit to affirm the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico’s decision to void Act 41, which granted concessions to the labor movement.

The Supreme Court decided not to take up the petitions for certiorari, or review, in Hernandez-Montanez v. Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico and Pierluisi v. Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico in an unsigned order on March 25. No justices dissented. The court did not explain its decision. At least four of the nine justices must vote to grant a petition for it to advance to the oral argument stage.

The petitioner in one appeal, Pedro Pierluisi of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, is the governor of Puerto Rico. The petitioner in the other appeal, Rafael “Tatito” Hernandez-Montanez, a Democrat, is the speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

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