Wednesday, January 04, 2006
FOREIGN LAW: NEW ZEALAND ENDS AUTOMATIC BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
This in from New Zealand
From today on, not every baby born in this country will automatically be a New Zealand citizen. Changes to the Citizenship Act mean there are tighter rules on children acquiring citizenship at birth. It will only happen now if at least one of their parents is a New Zealand citizen or is entitled to be in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau or Niue indefinitely. The changes have been brought in to recognise the value of citizenship.
Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Brian Clarke, says very few babies born in New Zealand will be affected by the changes. The Department of Internal Affairs says the changes have been brought in to ensure the benefits of citizenship only go to those with a genuine and ongoing link to the country.
I wonder if the U.S. Congress follows New Zealand's lead, and passes a similar law that's challeneged in the Supreme Court, will liberal justices like Breyer and Ginsburg cite New Zealand's "good" foreign law?
Newstalk ZB
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