The Great Birthright Citizen Debate

Charles C.W. Cooke moderates a spirited debate between John Yoo and Richard Epstein on the constitutional meaning and historical origins of birthright citizenship. Drawing on legal precedent, originalist interpretation, and Reconstruction-era history, the two scholars explore whether Wong Kim Ark was rightly decided, how “subject to the jurisdiction” should be understood, and what the policy implications are for modern immigration.

You can listen to The Great Birthright Citizen Debate online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Great Birthright Citizen Debate is an episode from Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Senik by The Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

This episode is 61:57 long.

This episode was published on Aug 11, 2025.

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