The Case Against Birthright Citizenship
On Thursday, September 27, 2018 the Claremont Institute co-hosted a panel on “The Case Against Birthright Citizenship” with The Heritage Foundation.
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
The Constitution refers in several provisions to “citizen[s] of the United States,” but no express definition of that term appears in its text. Addressing this omission, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees U.S. citizenship to “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
Scholars, such as Claremont Senior Fellow Ed Erler writing for the Heritage Guide to the Constitution, have argued that the original understanding of the term “jurisdiction” refers to an individual’s voluntary political allegiance to the United States. This link forms the social compact that lies at the heart of American constitutionalism.
The recurring debate over birthright citizenship tends to overlook the critical requirement of social compact, focusing instead on birth alone. Our distinguished panel will elucidate this lost understanding of the Citizenship Clause and explore the historical and legal context behind the proper conception of republican citizenship.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Edward J. Erler, On Citizenship, in The Heritage Guide to the Constitution
- Edward J. Erler, From Subjects to Citizens: The Social Contract Origins of American Citizenship, in Thomas G. West & Ronald J. Pestritto, eds., The American Founding and the Social Compact (2003)
- Michael Anton, Citizenship shouldn’t be a birthright
- Michael Anton, Birthright Citizenship: A Response to My Critics
PANELISTS:
Arthur Milikh (host), Associate Director and Research Fellow, B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics Institute for Constitutional Government, The Heritage Foundation
Ryan Williams (moderator), President, Claremont Institute
Michael Anton, Lecturer and Research Fellow, Hillsdale College; Senior Fellow, Claremont Institute; Former National Security Official in the Trump Administration
Ed Erler, Senior Fellow, Claremont Institute; Professor of Political Science Emeritus, California State University, San Bernardino
John D. Fonte, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for American Common Culture, Hudson Institute
