Birthright Citizenship Clause Reexamined

Birthright Citizenship Clause Reexamined

A new legal analysis argues the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause was never meant to mirror English common law's feudal 'right of the soil'—and the Founders made that clear when they declared independence. The case before the Supreme Court over birthright citizenship may hinge on what 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' actually meant in 1868.