High Court Rejects Puerto Rico Residents on Federal Benefits (2)

The federal government can continue to exclude Puerto Rico from a Social Security benefits program, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that will stop more than $2 billion a year from flowing to the island’s residents.

Voting 8-1 to overturn a lower court ruling, the justices said the Constitution’s equal protection clause doesn’t require the inclusion of Puerto Rico’s residents in the Supplemental Security Income program, which covers needy people who are blind, otherwise disabled or elderly.

Writing for the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Congress can constitutionally treat Puerto Rico differently than the 50 U.S. states in ...