{"argument_date":"2001-01-09T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2001-01-09T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2000","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","paragraphs":["Ms. Davis argued the case raises an equal protection question. She stated Joseph Boulais raised his son from infancy. She asserted the statute treats mothers and fathers differently.","Mr. Kneedler argued the naturalization clause grants Congress plenary power. He stated this power is inherent in national sovereignty. He asserted Congress determines which aliens gain citizenship.","Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if a favorable ruling would require reassessing Lehr. Ms. Davis said it would not. The Chief Justice then closed the argument."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 25-27"}]}],"caption":"Tuan Anh v. INS","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:33.495830Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:33.509439Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"the sides that brought the case argue federal citizenship rules discriminate against fathers. The government claims Congress holds plenary power over naturalization.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2001-01-09T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2000","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/99-2071.html","primary_docket":"99-2071","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T18:11:38.700595Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["This case tests whether federal citizenship laws treat parents equally. Joseph Boulais raised his out-of-wedlock son from infancy. The dispute centers on the Fifth Amendment due process clause. The government asserts Congress controls who becomes a citizen. the sides that brought the case seek equal treatment under the law."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on January 9, 2001."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 25-27"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case want the Court to strike down the citizenship statute. They seek equal treatment for fathers under the law.","The government wants the Court to uphold the statute. It seeks to preserve Congress's plenary power over naturalization."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case argue the statute violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment. They claim differential treatment of parents is unconstitutional.","The government argues the Constitution commits naturalization power to Congress. It asserts this power is inherent in national sovereignty."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if a ruling for the sides that brought the case would require reassessing the Lehr decision. Ms. Davis responded that it would not."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 25-27"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["The outcome defines how federal law treats parents of out-of-wedlock children. It clarifies the scope of Congress's power over citizenship. It determines whether the Fifth Amendment requires equal treatment in this context."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-13","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-13"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 25-27","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 25-27"}]}],"slug":"2000-99-2071-tuan-anh-v-ins","term":"2000","title":"Does federal law violate equal protection by treating mothers and fathers differently in citizenship transmission?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 26, lines 47-19","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 26, lines 47-19"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 15-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 15-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 52, lines 23-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2000/99-2071.pdf","page_label":"file page 52, lines 23-23"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}