HJRES 204 · 119th CongressIntroduced

Require judges to be natural born citizens

The vote

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Worked the bill

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In the distance

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Summary

What the bill does

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to require that all federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, be natural born citizens. The amendment would take effect six months after ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Why it matters

The stakes

If passed, this amendment would change who can serve as a federal judge, potentially excluding immigrants who became citizens later in life. It affects the diversity and qualifications of the judiciary.

The debate

What each side says

Supporters

Ensures that judges have lifelong loyalty to the United States from birth.bill
Aligns the judiciary with the same citizenship requirement already in place for the president.report

Critics

Unnecessarily restricts the pool of qualified judges, excluding many talented naturalized citizens.bill
May be seen as discriminatory against immigrants and could face legal challenges.report

Each point links to its source. The views are attributed to those sources, not stated as ours.

Lobbying filings, contributions, and votes are public records shown side by side. The further down the chain, the further the money is from this bill. This page does not assert that money caused any vote.