In a surprise to many observers, on August 19 Puerto Ricans resoundingly voted “no” on two proposed constitutional amendments that had been championed by conservative Governor Luis Fortuño of the New Progressive Party. Fortuño is also a member of the U.S. Republican Party leadership, and will be a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida next week. The “no” vote is a blow to his agenda.

On July 30, Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuño signed a highly controversial and sweeping new penal code into law that includes sharp restrictions on a broad range of civil liberties and rights. It’s slated to go into effect on September 1. A week after Fortuño signed it, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit to stop the new law, calling it unconstitutional. “The statute is evidently intended to suppress speech, to stop people from protesting against government policies,” William Ramirez, local ACLU director, said in the Washington Post.