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Peter Spiro

Peter Spiro

@peterspiro.bsky.social

840 followers 800 following 190 posts

Law prof, Temple U. All things citizenship

Peter John Spiro is an American legal scholar whose specialities include international law and U.S. constitutional law. He is a leading expert on dual citizenship. Formerly the Rusk Professor of International Law at the University of Georgia, since 2006 he has been the Charles R. Weiner Professor of Law at Temple University. .. more

Political science 71%

Sociology 12%

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Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Sep 23

“Totally absurd but probably will stick” is the motto of the T admin.

It’s just one more grift scheme.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 23

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

Reposted by Maarten Vink, Jo Shaw

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 23

Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 23

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 23

Back to this from a couple of weeks ago. Glad to know that Kimmel has a Plan B if he needs it.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

"I love Italy. I like the idea of being a citizen there. And mostly what I like to do is bring my passport to parties and show it to people and make them jealous."

Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Rumors He’s Fleeing Trump’s America

MAGA world melted down after Kimmel told Sarah Silverman he had obtained Italian citizenship.

www.thedailybeast.com

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 23

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

But I'm not a tax lawyer so there might be some loophole here that I'm not seeing.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

Ah very interesting. Another reason to suspect that she didn't renounce - the expatriation tax. After renouncing she would have the same status as someone who never had citizenship. Not sure how she retains US "residence" without a green card, which she couldn't apply for until after renunciation.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

"I love Italy. I like the idea of being a citizen there. And mostly what I like to do is bring my passport to parties and show it to people and make them jealous."

Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Rumors He’s Fleeing Trump’s America

MAGA world melted down after Kimmel told Sarah Silverman he had obtained Italian citizenship.

www.thedailybeast.com

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

Anyone know if Naomi Osaka actually relinquished her US citizenship? Her name never showed up on the renunciation list and Japan now quietly tolerant of birth dual citizens maintaining the status into adulthood.

Why does Naomi Osaka play for Japan? Explaining tennis star's relinquished USA dual citizenship

The tennis star represents Japan on the national stage.

sports.yahoo.com

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Sep 5

Crazy story at the intersection of 14th amendment and citizenship qualifications for the franchise.

10 Alaskans born in American Samoa plead not guilty in voting case highlighting citizenship issues

Ten Alaska residents pleaded not guilty Thursday to voter misconduct or other charges in cases that have renewed attention on the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory of Ame...

Reposted by Steve Peers, Peter J. Spiro

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Aug 18

Well said, @peterspiro.bsky.social in @nytimes.com on Marco Rubio’s 2016 defense of birthright citizenship.

“There’s no reason why the argument he put to work in 2016 couldn’t be put to work today against the Trump executive order,” Professor Spiro wrote.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/u...

Marco Rubio Once Filed a Brief Embracing Birthright Citizenship

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Apr 3

Trump holding up a gold card with his face on it: For $5 million, this can be yours

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

PBS News @pbsnews.org · Apr 3

The U.S. Senate confirmed celebrity doctor and heart surgeon Mehmet Oz on Thursday to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The vote was 53-45.

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Lauren W. @livewildly.bsky.social · Apr 9

A friend has been eligible to apply for citizenship in Sweden for three years. She’s going to do it now because having dual citizenship with an EU country feels safer right now.

My response?

“Dual citizenship is the new American Dream.”

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro, Patti Tamara Lenard

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · Apr 11

❗New Entry❗

Reparative citizenship may aim to right past wrongs, but @peterspiro.bsky.social argues it actually weakens the foundational concept of citizenship itself 🛂⚖️

It is unsentimental, instrumental, detached from the community and erodes civic ties 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🚫

Read here 🔗 tinyurl.com/dh6pkpyt

Citizenship as Reparations: Should the victims of historical injustice be offered membership? - Page 6 of 6 - Globalcit

Kickoff contribution by David Owen and Rainer Bauböck. Comments by Jocelyn Kane and Patti Tamara Lenard, Ashley Mantha-Hollands , Timothy Jacob-Owens , Lior Erezand Peter Spiro Read More ...

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Apr 28

With alarming reports of U.S. citizens being “deported” (which is … not a thing), today’s “One First” looks at the ways the government can *lawfully* revoke citizenship—and the legal and practical obstacles it would (and should) encounter if it tried to do so:

www.stevevladeck.com/p/146-denatu...

146. Denaturalization and Expatriation

There is no lawful way to "deport" U.S. citizens. And although citizenship can be revoked, any attempt by the government would run into significant statutory, constitutional, and practical obstacles.

www.stevevladeck.com

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro, Jelena Džankić

Simon Cox @simonfrcox.bsky.social · Apr 30

My blog on yesterday’s EU Court judgment outlawing “commercial” selling of EU citizenship verfassungsblog.de/the-eu-free-... at @verfassungsblog.de

The EU Free Market Does Not Extend to Citizenship

url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Apr 30

Lutnick: "The attention on the Trump gold card -- I mean, it makes me very popular. Last night, I was out for dinner and somebody came up and said, 'Can I buy 10?' And I'm like, that's pretty good, that's $50 million for dinner. So it's paying for my dinner."

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

The Age (unofficial) @theage.nzcow.com · May 15

📢 The prime minister has politely declined an offer of honorary citizenship from the Italian city of Barletta due to legal concerns the gesture could conflict with the Constitution.

Albanese declines offer of ‘honorary citizenship’ from father’s Italian hometown

www.theage.com.au

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Jun 27

Super-quick take while reading the ruling:

This is going to be a much bigger deal for challenges to *other* Trump policies than to birthright citizenship (where it's likely that lower courts will still be able to block the policy on a nationwide basis even after this ruling).

*That's* the import.

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Jun 27

First #SCOTUS ruling today is birthright citizenship.

Justice Barrett, for a 6-3 majority (with the three Dem. appointees dissenting) holds that universal injunctions are only appropriate when necessary to provide "complete" relief to parties, and stays these injunctions insofar as they go further:

www.supremecourt.gov

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro, Suzanne Conklin Akbari

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Jun 27

i also think that it is only a matter of time before this court rewrites section 1 of the 14th to effectively end birthright citizenship. the 14th amendment is the chief obstacle to a legal regime of tiered citizenship and subordinate castes, and they will not let it stand.

Reposted by Mark Hallerberg, Peter J. Spiro

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Apr 10

Good to see the new CDU/CSU and SPD coalition 🇩🇪 keeps the main elements of the 2024 modernisation of German citizenship law in place. Incl dual citizenship and 5 yrs residence req. 👏

Only element that is cancelled is the fast-track naturalisation (after 3 yrs) or 'Turbo-Einbürgerung'.

Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht: Wir schaffen die „Turboeinbürgerung“ nach drei Jahren ab. Darüber hinaus halten wir an der Reform des Staatsbürgerschaftsrecht fest.

Reposted by Maarten Vink, Peter J. Spiro

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 16

Can Trump revoke citizenship, and how often does it happen worldwide?

> No, and too often.

Informative @washingtonpost.com piece drawing on @globalcit.bsky.social data on the regulation of citizenship revokation around the world.

www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Can Trump revoke citizenship, and how often does it happen worldwide?

Trump has threatened to strip some Americans’ citizenship, which many countries allow in the name of security but critics say can lead to weaponization.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Dimitry Kochenov Yaroslavsky @profkochenov.bsky.social · Jul 21

🎯spoke to @aljazeera.com on global citizenship apartheid: m.youtube.com/watch?v=HdHS...
Delight to showcase my @mitpress.bsky.social book❗️Brief summary at @icon-s.bsky.social: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
@globalcit.bsky.social @profjacob.bsky.social @weareceu.bsky.social @peterspiro.bsky.social

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 11

The i UK newspaper asked me what's going on with citizenship policies across European countries. Here's why I think we are at a turning point in Europe when it comes to citizenship through naturalisation. And why that is worrying.

inews.co.uk/news/world/w...

Why it's getting even harder for Brits to become EU citizens

Several countries are looking at increasing residency requirements for citizenship

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro, Jelena Džankić

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 9

Hanging out in Budapest with a great citizenship crowd ❤️

@jdzankic.bsky.social @bronwenmanby.bsky.social @peterspiro.bsky.social

Pictured in Budapest from left to right: Maarten Vink, Patricia Jeronimo, Rainer Baubock, Bronwen Manby, Jelena Dzankic, Peter Spiro

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Jul 9

Why policing dual nationality makes no sense

Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Is Stripped of Dutch Citizenship

www.nytimes.com

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · Jul 9

Delighted to join!

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 7

Great to back in Budapest to teach at this year's edition of ‪CEU's summer school on Contestations of Citizenship in Times of Global Democratic Backsliding. Looking forward to exchange insights with participants!

Thanks for the invitation @jdzankic.bsky.social & Szabolcs Pogonyi.

lnkd.in/dqxq-Qn6

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro, Jelena Džankić

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 7

Great to back in Budapest to teach at this year's edition of ‪CEU's summer school on Contestations of Citizenship in Times of Global Democratic Backsliding. Looking forward to exchange insights with participants!

Thanks for the invitation @jdzankic.bsky.social & Szabolcs Pogonyi.

lnkd.in/dqxq-Qn6

Reposted by Peter J. Spiro

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · Jul 4

I always found identity/countries of origin in pro tennis to be funny. Like on some level they’re all Floridian once they become pros:

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Timnit Gebru, Shannon Vallor , and 24 more Timothy Snyder, Timnit Gebru, Shannon Vallor, Stephan Lewandowsky, Stefan Reis, Jesse H. Kroll, Ken Caldeira, Albert Weale, Christopher Wright, Benjamin Mason Meier, J. Adam Carter, Shawn Cole, Joseph Schafer, Esther K. Choo, Gerry Canavan, Peter J. Spiro, Andreas Wagner, Janet Murray, Trevor A. Branch, Miranda J. Lubbers, Erol Akçay, William Myers, Sarah Bracke, Jae-Young Son, Bonnie N. Field, Carlos Carroll, Sheila R. Foster

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · Jul 3

I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.

This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.

It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.