Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/18-1334_8m58.pdf
Page Number: 41

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FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT BD. FOR 
PUERTO RICO v. AURELIUS INVESTMENT, LLC 
SOTOMAYOR, J., concurring in judgment 

the people of Puerto Rico for approval.  Id., at 223. 

In 1952, “both Puerto Rico and the United States ratified 
Puerto  Rico’s  Constitution.”  Sánchez  Valle,  579  U. S.,  at 
___ (BREYER, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 8).  The people of
Puerto Rico first approved the draft Constitution in a refer-
endum.  Congress  then  approved  the  draft  Constitution 
with modifications, noting the caveat that it “shall become
effective” only when Puerto Rico “declare[s] in a formal res-
olution its acceptance.”  66 Stat. 327–328.  Finally, the peo-
ple  of  Puerto  Rico  approved  the  modified  Constitution  in 
another referendum.  Thus, although the terms of the com-
pact provided for Congress’ approval, “when such constitu-
tion did go into effect pursuant to the resolution of approval 
by the Congress, it became what the Congress called it, a
‘constitution’ under  which the people of Puerto Rico orga-
nized  a  government  of  their  own  adoption.”    Figueroa  v. 
Puerto Rico, 232 F. 2d 615, 620 (CA1 1956) (citation omit-
ted).  “The Commonwealth’s power, the [Puerto Rico] Con-
stitution proclaims, ‘emanates from the people and shall be
exercised in accordance with their will, within the terms of 
the compact agreed upon between the people of Puerto Rico 
and the United States.’ ”  Sánchez Valle, 579 U. S., at ___ 
(slip op., at 4).

With the passage of Public Law 600 and the adoption and 
recognition  of  the  Puerto  Rico  Constitution,  “the  United
States  and  Puerto  Rico  . . .  forged  a  unique  political  rela-
tionship, built on the island’s evolution into a constitutional 
democracy exercising local self-rule.”  Id., at ___ (slip op., at
2); cf. Calero-Toledo, 416 U. S., at 672 (noting with approval
the view that, after Public Law 600, Puerto Rico became “a 
political entity created by the act and with the consent of
the  people  of  Puerto  Rico  and  joined  in  union  with  the 
United States of America under the terms of the compact”
(quoting Mora v. Mejias, 206 F. 2d 377, 387 (CA1 1953))).

Of  critical  import  here,  the  Federal  Government  “relin-
quished  its  control  over  [Puerto  Rico’s]  local  affairs[,]