United States v. Wong Kim Ark

In this assignment you will provide an in-depth analysis of a particular court case.

First, describe the sociohistorical context of the case. How did it come about? What legal and political issues were being challenged?

Second, briefly discuss the case itself.

Third, discuss the ruling. What was the Court’s reasoning for ruling the way they did? If there were any dissents in the case, also discuss the basis for them.

One key for these journals is to go beyond the readings and videos. Why are these cases important? In what ways do the debates involved in these cases continue to appear in today’s society?

-discuss the background to this case. How were the citizenship clause (in particular, jus soli) and the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment involved in this case? What was the basis of Justice Horace Gray’s opinion, as well as the basis of Chief Justice Melville Fuller’s dissent, particularly regarding the phrase that was at the center of the debate? How is the ruling in Wong Kim Ark contested today?

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/169/649/