Puerto Rico media petitions Supreme Court in abuse case
The Association of Puerto Rico Journalists is seeking access to recordings of court proceedings involving a woman who was killed by her former boyfriend and has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case against the U.S. territory’s government
2021-11-30 20:44:18 - VI News Staff
Andrea Ruiz went to court three times in one week to seek protection from her estranged boyfriend. She was denied each time and several weeks later, in late April, the 33-year-old clothing store manager was found beaten, strangled, stabbed and burned to death.
The incident outraged many in the U.S. territory and prompted journalists to demand recordings of those court proceedings, only to be turned down by local courts. On Friday, they turned to the U.S. Supreme Court for help, arguing the public has a right to know whether the justice system in Puerto Rico is working or if reform is needed.
“It’s a basic, fundamental right,” David Schulz, a Yale Law School lecturer serving as counsel in the case, told The Associated Press. “Without access, people can’t have confidence that the courts are doing the right thing.”
In its petition, the Association of Puerto Rico Journalists asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case against the U.S. territory's government. They raise two questions: whether automatic closure of all domestic violence proceedings and their recordings violates the First Amendment, and whether courts may take such action without first considering the First Amendment.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and the right to petition the government.
Puerto Rico’s Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Ruiz’s death, the department announced new measures to help prevent a repeat of similar cases, including assigning a prosecutor to accompany a domestic violence victim to certain hearings and organizing workshops for prosecutors.
Ruiz was killed months after Puerto Rico’s governor declared a state of emergency in late January over gender violence, with nearly 5,900 cases reported in 2019 and some 5,500 cases last year in the island of 3.3 million people, with only a small percentage resulting in convictions.
Miguel Ocasio was charged in Ruiz's killing shortly after her body was found; a couple of months later, he took his own life while in jail on a $1 million bond.