Stanford JD Candidates Unveil New Research on Birthright Citizenship Origins
Stanford JD candidates shared new research on birthright citizenship's origins in San Francisco.
Why it matters: This scholarship informs ongoing legal debates on citizenship, immigration law, and constitutional rights. It aids counsel involved in immigration and constitutional litigation to better understand the historical and legal foundations of birthright citizenship.
- Presentations by JD candidates Nkemjika Abad Emenike and Nini Tufon were published on July 17, 2026, by Stanford Law School.
- Research focused on ordinary legal origins of birthright citizenship, including insights from Stanford's Center for Racial Justice.
- The Center for Racial Justice was established in June 2020 to address racial inequities through legal education and research.
- This work follows the U.S. Supreme Court's June 30, 2026 decision affirming birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.
On July 17, 2026, Stanford Law School spotlighted new academic research on the origins of birthright citizenship, presented by JD candidates Nkemjika Abad Emenike and Nini Tufon in San Francisco. Their work delves into the ordinary legal origins of the American right to citizenship at birth.
The presentations incorporated perspectives from the Center for Racial Justice, established in June 2020 at Stanford Law School. This center aims to address racial divisions and promote solutions via legal research and education.
The timing of this scholarship coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisive ruling on June 30, 2026, which reaffirmed birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment, ratified in 1868, guarantees that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, a principle known as jus soli, or “right of the soil.” This decision rejected the executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, which sought to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants and temporary visa holders.
The historical basis of this rule was previously affirmed in the 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which confirmed that children born in the U.S. to foreign parents are citizens. Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that citizenship has long been "the right to have rights—to freely participate in our political community." This research from Stanford's JD candidates and the Center for Racial Justice enriches the evolving discourse surrounding citizenship in contemporary immigration and constitutional law practice.
By the numbers:
- June 30, 2026 — Date of Supreme Court decision affirming birthright citizenship
- January 20, 2025 — Date of President Trump's executive order opposing birthright citizenship
- June 2020 — Founding date of Stanford Law School’s Center for Racial Justice