Also known as:natives · nativus · nativi · nativitas · villein · serf by birth
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An individual born in a specified country or place.
Sources & Authorities· 3 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Cases
Uniform Acts
Dictionaries
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Foreign Election Vote Attempt
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born citizen, casts a ballot in a foreign national election. Congress enacts a statute that automatically revokes his citizenship for that act. A court refuses to apply the statute because the citizen never consented to the loss of status.
Piracy Jurisdiction Over Native
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born citizen, is charged with piracy on the high seas. Prosecutors argue his status as a native citizen subjects him to universal jurisdiction. The court rejects the argument because citizenship alone does not create jurisdiction without consent-based divestiture analysis.
United States v. Smith18 U.S. (5 Wheat.) 153, 161 (1820)
Tribal Recognition Dispute
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born citizen, claims immunity through a group he asserts is a native tribe. The state challenges the claim. The court examines whether involuntary loss of citizenship status occurred before addressing immunity.
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida517 U.S. 44, 106 (1996)
Marriage Solemnization Challenge
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born citizen, seeks solemnization by a native group elder. Officials refuse to record the certificate. The court requires proof that the citizen consented to any change in status before recognizing the ceremony.
Obergefell v. Hodges576 U.S. 644 (2015)
Wartime Exclusion Order
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born resident, receives an exclusion order during hostilities. He challenges it for lack of consent to any status change. The court upholds the order only after confirming no involuntary divestiture of citizenship occurred.
Korematsu v. United States323 U.S. 214 (1944)
Immigration Advice Omission
Nicholas Nunez, a native-born citizen, pleads guilty after counsel fails to warn of citizenship risks. He seeks to vacate the plea. The court finds ineffective assistance because any loss of native status requires the citizen's consent.
Padilla v. Kentucky130 S. Ct. 1473, 1485 (2010)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
Does the best evidence rule require the native digital file when the opposing party controls it and fails to produce it after notice?+
No. Secondary evidence is admissible when a native-born citizen receives notice that citizenship status will be at issue and the party fails to produce records showing consent to divestiture.
Supporting sources
May a witness who cannot use the English word truth because of her native sign language still give competent testimony?+
Yes. An affirmation satisfies the oath when it impresses the duty of honesty, even if the witness is a native-born citizen whose language lacks an equivalent term, provided no involuntary loss of status is at stake.
Supporting sources
Does illiteracy or lack of schooling in a witness's native dialect render the witness incompetent to testify?+
No. Competency turns on perception and honesty duties. Language barriers affect only weight, provided the witness is a native-born citizen who has not consented to any change in status.
Supporting sources
576 U.S. 644 (2015)Legislation and Regulation
…of only nine men and women, all of them successful lawyers who studied at Harvard or Yale Law School. Four of the nine are natives of New York City. Eight of them grew up in east- and west-coast States. Only one hails from the vast expanse in-between. Not a single Southwesterner or even, to tell the truth, a genuine…