Uplifting the vulnerable
by Suzi Morales, J.D.
In Spring 2026, Sígrid Vendrell-Polanco, J.D., will teach a new course she created on the law of the United States territories and release a case book she co-authored on the subject. It’s a topic that extends beyond merely academic curiosity to her roots growing up in Puerto Rico.
“I still have family in Puerto Rico, and so, as a Puerto Rican scholar, I felt a big responsibility to confront those colonial legacies that are embedded in our legal system,” said Vendrell-Polanco, Assistant Professor of Law and Englehardt Research Fellow at the St. Mary’s University School of Law.
The release of her book and the new course at St. Mary’s Law will coincide with the 125th anniversary of the Insular Cases, a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding territories that were ceded to the United States as part of the treaty to end the Spanish-American War in 1898.
“Coming from a Marianist background and university, it’s really important to me that students use their moral compass, their commitment to use the laws like a tool to uplift others, especially the most vulnerable.”
— Sígrid Vendrell-Polanco, J.D.
As Vendrell-Polanco explains, beginning in 1901, rulings on issues like import and export taxes determined that Congress could decide on constitutional and other protections in the territories.
“That is why today, 125 years later, American citizens living in the mainland still have a lot of protections that are not granted to the territories,” she said.
Impact of the law
Vendrell-Polanco’s work stems from a broader interest in how the law impacts underrepresented people. She enrolled in law school because she wanted to pursue a career in foreign policy, but that changed when she fell in love with criminal law during her first year. After graduation, she practiced criminal defense and employment law.
When the opportunity came to teach legal skills at St. Mary’s Law in 2017, it wasn’t what she’d originally envisioned, but it made perfect sense.
“I’ve always been a teacher of sorts,” Vendrell-Polanco said.
A third-degree black belt in taekwondo, she has long taught beginners of all ages. Currently, she teaches a program for children with disabilities.
“It is really, really fantastic to be uplifting that vulnerable population, and showing them that they can do things even with their disabilities,” she said. “They can be athletes; they can be martial artists.”
Vendrell-Polanco now teaches criminal law and encourages students to see a more holistic picture of the justice system, including how the law affects people in U.S. territories.
“My teaching is really grounded in a desire to see meaningful reform in the criminal justice system as well as in the American democratic system in terms of the territories,” she said.
As a Puerto Rican scholar, Vendrell-Polanco brings a different viewpoint to St. Mary’s J.D. students.
“Sígrid’s scholarship on territoriality brings a needed perspective to an often-overlooked dimension of legal studies,” noted Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development Ramona Lampley, J.D. “Her work provides a voice for those territorial citizens in discussions about land, self-determination and sovereignty.”
A moral compass
When her book, The Law of the United States Territories, is published, Vendrell-Polanco plans to send a signed copy to her parents, who she said “lived a lot of the political turmoil that was Puerto Rico in the ’60s and ’70s.”
Even as she looks to the experiences of the past, Vendrell-Polanco also hopes to shape the education of future attorneys.
“Coming from a Marianist background and university, it’s really important to me that students use their moral compass, their commitment to use the laws like a tool to uplift others, especially the most vulnerable,” she said.
