insular cases doctrine
E91475
The insular cases doctrine is a body of early 20th-century U.S. Supreme Court decisions holding that full constitutional rights do not automatically extend to all territories under American control, creating a distinction between incorporated and unincorporated territories.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Insular Cases doctrine | 0 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court jurisprudence
ⓘ
United States constitutional law doctrine ⓘ legal doctrine ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
American Samoa
ⓘ
Guam ⓘ Northern Mariana Islands ⓘ Spanish East Indies ⓘ
surface form:
Philippine Islands (historical)
Puerto Rico ⓘ U.S. Virgin Islands ⓘ
surface form:
United States Virgin Islands
United States territories ⓘ |
| basedOn | Insular Cases ⓘ |
| constitutionalPrinciple | territorial incorporation ⓘ |
| coreHolding | full United States constitutional rights do not automatically extend to all territories under American control ⓘ |
| country | United States of America ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
civil rights organizations
ⓘ
legal scholars ⓘ political leaders from U.S. territories ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
creating a second-class status for residents of U.S. territories
ⓘ
reliance on racist and colonial assumptions in original opinions ⓘ |
| definesDistinctionBetween |
incorporated territories
ⓘ
unincorporated territories ⓘ |
| developedInPeriod | early 20th century ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
residents of unincorporated territories may lack certain constitutional protections
ⓘ
residents of unincorporated territories may lack full political representation in federal institutions ⓘ |
| hasEffectOn |
application of federal laws in U.S. territories
ⓘ
citizenship rights in U.S. territories ⓘ voting rights of territorial residents ⓘ |
| hasPart |
Armstrong v. United States
ⓘ
Balzac v. Porto Rico ⓘ Downes v. Bidwell ⓘ
surface form:
De Lima v. Bidwell
Dooley v. United States ⓘ Dorr v. United States ⓘ Downes v. Bidwell ⓘ Huus v. New York & Porto Rico Steamship Co. ⓘ Ocampo v. United States ⓘ Rassmussen v. United States ⓘ |
| historicalContext | acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in 1898 ⓘ |
| influencedBy | United States expansion after the Spanish–American War ⓘ |
| inForce | yes ⓘ |
| legalSystem | United States law ⓘ |
| relatedDoctrine | plenary power doctrine ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Fourteenth Amendment
ⓘ
surface form:
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution ⓘ United States colonialism debate ⓘ |
| startTime | 1901 ⓘ |
| statesThat |
only fundamental constitutional rights apply in unincorporated territories unless extended by Congress
ⓘ
the Constitution applies ex proprio vigore in incorporated territories ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
congressional hearings and reform proposals
ⓘ
ongoing litigation regarding constitutional rights in U.S. territories ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.