Professor Villazor Comments on Samoan Citizenship Suit for Wall Street Journal
Professor Rose Cuison Villazor commented for the Wall Street Journal on a suit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C in which plaintiffs claim that a law denying American Samoans citizenship upon birth violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Professor Villazor provided a historical context for the lawsuit, explaining that under a federal law passed in 1940, people born in American Samoa would be considered as "noncitizen nationals," because some in Congress were wary of granting full citizenship.
Professor Rose Cuison Villazor joined the UC Davis faculty in 2012 from the Maurice A. Deane Law School at Hofstra University. She has also taught at Columbia Law School and the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Professor Villazor teaches and writes in the areas of property law, immigration law, race, and citizenship.