2 US families challenge Italian law on citizenship by descent

2 US families challenge Italy’s citizenship limits in top court

Mohan Sinha
17 Apr 2026, 15:44 GMT+10

The scope of a year-old law passed by Italy’s government, limiting citizenship claims to Italian descendants removed by more than two generations, is being contested by two U.S. families.
Marco Mellone, the lawyer representing the two US families, told the Cassation Court that the law should apply only to people born after it came into force.
A ruling from a larger panel of judges, which will be binding on lower courts, is expected in the coming weeks.

ROME, Italy: The scope of a year-old law passed by Giorgia Meloni's government limiting citizenship claims to Italian descendants who have been removed for more than two generations was challenged by two U.S. families before the country's highest court this week.

Their lawyer, Marco Mellone, told the Cassation Court that the law should only apply to people born after it came into force. This could allow millions of people in the United States and Latin America to still qualify for citizenship. Another lawyer spoke on behalf of Italian descendants from Venezuela.

A ruling from a larger panel of judges, which will be binding on lower courts, is expected in the coming weeks.

In March 2025, the conservative government issued a decree revoking earlier rules allowing anyone with Italian ancestry dating back to 1861 to apply for citizenship.

Although Italy's constitutional court recently said the new law is valid, Mellone argued that the supreme court can still decide how the law should be applied.

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