In Re Ah Yup
United States Circuit Court for the District of California
1 F. Cas. 223 (1878)

- Written by Katrina Sumner, JD
Facts
America’s earliest laws on naturalization limited citizenship to persons who were free and white. After the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments were adopted, citizenship was also extended to persons of African ancestry. Congress updated the Revised Statutes to reflect that aliens who were “free white persons” or of African origin could become citizens. Subsequently, a Chinese national, Ah Yup (plaintiff), filed a petition seeking to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. Ah Yup’s application for citizenship was the first to be submitted by a Chinese person.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Sawyer, J.)
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