birthright citizenship

noun

: a rule that the citizenship of a child is determined by the place of the child's birth : jus soli

In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898), the Supreme Court thoroughly examined the meaning and intent of the 14th Amendment as it applies to birthright citizenship. The Court concluded that the Constitution "affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory."

—Cameron Smith

Birthright citizenship, also known as jus soli (right of the soil), is relatively uncommon. There are 195 countries in the world, and only 30 of them have it—just 15 percent. Most of the countries with birthright citizenship are in North and South America.

—Nolan Rappaport

also : the citizenship conferred by this rule

Born on Manhattan's Delancey Street and raised in the Bronx, my great-aunt Libby lost her birthright citizenship at age 20 when she married an immigrant. … Thanks to the Expatriation Act, passed by Congress in 1907 and repealed in 1922, my great-aunt … spent part of her life as a natural-born alien.

—Marcia Biederman

compare jus sanguinis

Examples of birthright citizenship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump himself made a brief but historic appearance in the Supreme Court chamber Wednesday to listen to the court, including a six-justice conservative majority and three of his own appointees, pepper an administration lawyer with tough questions about his effort to end birthright citizenship. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026

The Supreme Court has finished questioning the lawyers in the birthright citizenship case. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026

Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship highlights his white nationalist ambitions, reporter Carlos De Loera writes. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026

Kavanaugh, another conservative justice whose vote is often key to decisions, made the same point about the administration’s complaint that most countries do not have birthright citizenship. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who spoke relatively little, asked about immigration laws, enacted in 1940 and 1952, that accepted the common understanding that Wong Kim Ark had established birthright citizenship for the children of migrants, regardless of domicile. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026

Trump issued on his first day back in the White House, stating that birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment does not extend to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily, such as on a visa. —Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above