Page 6 - Insular Cases News Today

The court's action dashes hopes of American Samoans who were seeking birthright citizenship. It also leaves intact a Tenth Circuit decision that has been seen as "breathing new life" into constitutional distinctions between U.S. states and territories.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal to Give American Samoans Citizenship

American Samoa is the only unincorporated territory of the United States where the inhabitants are not American citizens at birth.

The Justice Department and American Samoan government urged the court not to take up the case.

Supreme Court declines to take up effort to secure birthright citizenship for American Samoans

The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case that would have expanded the country's birthright citizenship policy to American Samoa.

Fitisemanu v. U.S. sought to challenge the racist Insular Cases, which treat inhabitants of U.S. territories differently from citizens of the 50 states and D.C.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal seeking to give people born in American Samoa U.S. citizenship. In leaving in place an appeals court decision, the court also passed up an invitation to overturn a series of decisions dating back to 1901 known as the Insular Cases,

A series of controversial early 20th-century Supreme Court rulings known as the "Insular Cases" will remain intact after justices declined to consider whether American Samoans have full U.S. citizenship at birth.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal seeking to give people born in American Samoa U.S. citizenship.