LISTEN: Supreme Court hears case on whether Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board can be sued

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday on a case over whether the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, who were installed to oversee the territories finances by the federal government, can be sued in federal court – in this case by journalists who have filed Freedom of Information Act requests.

Listen to the case in the player above.

The FOMB was created by a law passed by Congress and signed by President Barrack Obama in 2016 when Puerto Rico faced a bankruptcy crisis. The FOMB was appointed by the federal government and has wide powers over Puerto Rico’s government when it comes to financial matters.

The FOMB has claimed that it enjoys sovereign immunity as part of the government and cannot be targeted by a lawsuit in federal court. Centro de Periodismo Investigativo, an investigative journalism organization, has countered that while states enjoy sovereign immunity, Puerto Rico is a territory. In its court filings, the organization says that without clarity from Congress, the FOMB can be sued. It also suggests that the FOMB’s creation “beg substantial questions’ about the board’s constitutionality.