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 … Thanks to the Expatriation Act, passed by Congress in 1907 and repealed in 1922, my great-aunt … spent part of her life as a natural-born alien.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

The Boss is lending his voice to the American Civil Liberties Union in the name of birthright citizenship. —Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026

The order ending birthright citizenship, one of 26 executive orders issued on the president’s first day in office, has been barred from taking effect by numerous courts and will be heard by the Supreme Court in a related case in April. —Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026

There’s no more consequential test for the soul of our country than birthright citizenship. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026

Many American religious and spiritual leaders have defended birthright citizenship as well. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026

The high court also will hear arguments April 1 on the legality of the president's plan to end birthright citizenship. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026

Perhaps the concern over birthright citizenship in the last thirty years springs from the numbers. —Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026

Trump, while criticizing the Supreme Court's tariff decision, also predicted the justices the could rule against him in other cases, specifically on the 14th Amendment guarantee of birthright citizenship. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026

The case will be the first major challenge involving birthright citizenship heard by the high court in more than 100 years. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above