Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House Judiciary Subcommittee Hears Competing Legal Views on Birthright Citizenship
Summary
A House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing featured sharply divided legal testimony on whether the Fourteenth Amendment grants automatic U.S. citizenship to all persons born on U.S. soil or whether the amendment’s jurisdiction clause limits citizenship to children of parents who owe exclusive allegiance to the United States.
A House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing on birthright citizenship featured sharply divided legal views on whether the Fourteenth Amendment’s phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” limits citizenship at birth to children whose parents owe exclusive allegiance to the United States, or whether the clause’s plain text grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
Chairman Roy convened the hearing and said the committee would examine the original public meaning of the jurisdiction clause. Ranking Member Scanlon disputed that approach, saying the clause’s plain text and longstanding precedent support birthright citizenship.
The panel of legal witnesses split along clear lines. Charles Cooper, chairman and founding partner of Cooper & Kirk PLLC, argued that the jurisdiction clause requires “complete” political allegiance and therefore excludes children born to parents who lack a permanent, lawful domicile in the United States. Cooper…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
