169 U.S. 649 (1898)
United States v. Wong Kim Ark is a landmark Supreme Court decision that affirmed the rights of individuals born in the United States to citizenship, rooted in the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Does the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grant citizenship to children born in the United States to foreign citizens?
Under the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause, 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.'
The Supreme Court held (6-2) that Wong Kim Ark, by virtue of being born in the United States to foreign parents who have a permanent domicile and residence in the United States, is a citizen of the United States under the Fourteenth Amendment.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark serves as a foundational precedent in constitutional and immigration law, reifying the principles of birthright citizenship. For law students, this case illustrates the interpretative application of constitutional text and the nuanced interplay of statutory restrictions, constitutional doctrine, and racial attitudes of the period. The case is crucial when discussing citizenship laws, particularly in contemporary debates on birthright citizenship and immigration policy.