Who is recognized as a citizen of the United States has been contested from Dred Scott to the present. Today, the federal government seeks not just to limit who is recognized as a U.S. citizen at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment, but even to strip citizenship for many the U.S. has long recognized as citizens. What exactly does this mean for people born in Guam? Join Neil Weare, Co-Director of Right to Democracy, to examine questions of U.S. citizenship following the military acquisition of Guam in 1898, how the United States first recognized a right to U.S. citizenship in the 1950 Organic Act, and how the federal government today contends that the "statutory" citizenship recognized by Congress in 1950 can be unilaterally ended by Congress, not just moving forward but possibly even retroactively. Further, what does the Fourteenth Amendment have to say about citizenship for people born in Guam? Finally, Adi Martinez Roman, Co-Director of Right to Democracy, who lives in Puerto Rico, and Andra Samoa, a former American Samoan legislator, will address what light cross-territorial experiences from Puerto Rico and American Samoa might shed on the subject.
Date: October 15, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Guam Women's Chamber of Commerce Business Center
204 Hesler Pl, Building B, Suite 104 Hagåtña, Guam
This is a free event; however, 1.0 CLE Credits are available with payment of a $25 administrative fee. Members interested in claiming the CLE credit may email info@guambar.org after registration for payment steps.
About our Speakers
Neil Weare grew up in Guam and is the Co-Director of Right to Democracy, which works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in U.S. territories. He has led efforts to overrule the Insular Cases and the colonial legal framework they established. He is also the co-author of the forthcoming casebook Law of U.S. Territories, which he has taught at Yale and Columbia Law Schools. Prior to attending Yale Law School he worked for Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and then Majority-Leader Lou Leon Guerrero.
Adi Martinez Roman lives in Puerto Rico and is Co-Director of Right to Democracy. She previously served as the Executive Director of Puerto Rico’s Access to Justice Fund Foundation and Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Puerto Rico Law School for seven years, where she continues to teach courses on the intersection of colonial rule, climate justice, and race. She received her bachelor's degree from Princeton’s School of Public Policy and International Affairs, her Juris Doctorate from the University of Puerto Rico, and both a Masters of Law and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas at Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (Spain).
Andra Samoa brings over four decades of leadership and public service in American Samoa. Through her service in American Samoa’s House of Representatives, leading the American Samoan Power Authority, and currently as the Public Policy Advisor for the American Samoa Lt. Governor, Andra's career has been shaped by a profound understanding of how community challenges in American Samoa intersect with issues of democracy, equity, and environmental justice.
Jacqueline T. Terlaje,
Guam Bar Association President
Date: October 15, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Guam Women's Chamber of Commerce Business Center
204 Hesler Pl, Building B, Suite 104 Hagåtña, Guam
This is a free event; however, 1.0 CLE Credits are available with payment of a $25 administrative fee. Members interested in claiming the CLE credit may email info@guambar.org after registration for payment steps.
About our Speakers
Neil Weare grew up in Guam and is the Co-Director of Right to Democracy, which works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in U.S. territories. He has led efforts to overrule the Insular Cases and the colonial legal framework they established. He is also the co-author of the forthcoming casebook Law of U.S. Territories, which he has taught at Yale and Columbia Law Schools. Prior to attending Yale Law School he worked for Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and then Majority-Leader Lou Leon Guerrero.
Adi Martinez Roman lives in Puerto Rico and is Co-Director of Right to Democracy. She previously served as the Executive Director of Puerto Rico’s Access to Justice Fund Foundation and Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Puerto Rico Law School for seven years, where she continues to teach courses on the intersection of colonial rule, climate justice, and race. She received her bachelor's degree from Princeton’s School of Public Policy and International Affairs, her Juris Doctorate from the University of Puerto Rico, and both a Masters of Law and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas at Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (Spain).
Andra Samoa brings over four decades of leadership and public service in American Samoa. Through her service in American Samoa’s House of Representatives, leading the American Samoan Power Authority, and currently as the Public Policy Advisor for the American Samoa Lt. Governor, Andra's career has been shaped by a profound understanding of how community challenges in American Samoa intersect with issues of democracy, equity, and environmental justice.
Jacqueline T. Terlaje,
Guam Bar Association President
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