The 14th Amendment’s debated provision, “subject to the jurisdiction thereof," which became the basis of who gets U.S. citizenship at birth, was dissected in an oral argument at Thurston County Superior Court.
Seniors from Capital High School and Olympia High School swept the top three spots in the 2025 Law Day Speech Contest, as announced by the Thurston County Bar Association (TCBA) earlier this month.
Five high school students delivered their own legal positions during the preliminary round on April 23 at the Thurston County Courthouse, and each one was asked to answer the legal question: Should birthright citizenship extend to all persons born in the United States or only to those whose parents are legally in the United States?
The contest required students to build their arguments using facts, constitutional clauses, and verifiable data. The judging panel consisted of Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson and TCBA board members Marie Docter and Jeffrey Carr.
According to the TCBA, three finalists advanced namely, Alijah Manzanares of Capital High School, and Monica Peddi and Alice Hillier of Olympia High School.
The winning seniors automatically moved on to the final round on April 29 during a West Olympia Rotary Club meeting at Tugboat Annie’s. The Rotary selected three members at random to serve as judges.
“All of the students did an amazing job preparing and presenting their speeches,” the Thurston County Bar Association said in its official statement.
Manzanares placed first, Peddi second, and Hillier third.
The TCBA awarded scholarship money of $800 to the first-place winner, $600 to second place, and $400 to third. The West Olympia Rotary Club also gave plaques to each finalist.
This year’s topic connects with an ongoing national jurisprudence issue. On Jan. 20, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14160, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.”
The order argues that the 14th Amendment does not grant automatic citizenship to children of undocumented migrants as it cites “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” as grounds to exclude those children.
The executive order also calls Dred Scott v. Sandford a “shameful decision” and uses it as a warning about its interpretations of American citizenship.
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Snevets
Bravo!!!
Wednesday, May 21 Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
Not an easy subject. I volunteered for 3 organizations that help fight human trafficking. The number one cause is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Also has brought us modern day slavery as those millions of people do not have homes and have to work somewhere. When we rescued the little girl or boy, they generally just wanted "to go home". Horrible people out there.
Took our family 6 years of applying and reapplying to legally immigrate to the US. Had to have a: sponsor, job, place to stay, and health insurance. The rules are the same today. I believe this is a political issue and it is clear who is making the most out of illegal immigration. Sad. Common sense please.
Wednesday, May 21 Report this