Supreme Court Ruling Restores Citizenship to U.S. Jew Who Voted in Israeli Election

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Congress may not revoke the citizenship of a naturalized American because he voted in an Israeli election. The decision held that Beys Afroyim, 73, a native of Poland who was naturalized in the United States in 1926, regains his citizenship. The U.S. State Department revoked his citizenship in 1960 because he voted in an Israeli election. The U.S. vice-consul at Haifa issued him a certificate of loss of U.S. citizenship when he sought to return to America.

The Supreme Court ruling maintained that an American cannot be stripped of his citizenship unless he voluntarily renounces his allegiance to the United States. The 5 to 4 ruling overruled a 1958 decision that a person’s citizenship may be taken away for voting in a foreign election.

Justice Hugo Black said “We hold that the 14th Amendment was designed to, and does, protect every citizen of this nation against a Congressional forcible destruction of his citizenship, whatever his creed, color, or race.” The ruling said “citizenship is no light trifle to be jeopardized any moment Congress decides to do so.” Justices dissenting from the ruling were Byron R. White, John Harlan, Tom C. Clark, and Potter Stewart.