U.s. Families Contest Italian Law Restricting Citizenship By Descent In Highest Court

ROME — Two U.S. families went to Italy’s highest tribunal Tuesday to situation nan scope of a year-old rule passed by Giorgia Meloni’s authorities limiting citizenship claims to Italian descendants removed by much than 2 generations.

Their lawyer, Marco Mellone, based on earlier nan Cassation Court that nan rule should use only to group calved aft it took effect, perchance opening a pathway to citizenship for millions of group surviving successful nan United States and parts of Latin America.

A determination by an expanded panel, which makes nan ruling binding successful little courts, is expected successful nan coming weeks.

A decree by nan far-right-led authorities successful March 2025 put nan brakes connected erstwhile rules allowing anyone who could beryllium ancestry aft Italy’s statement successful 1861 to activity citizenship. Italy’s law tribunal past period ruled nan caller rule is valid, but Mellone said nan ultimate tribunal has nan powerfulness to explain nan scope of nan law.

“The families progressive successful this lawsuit are simply descendants ... from an Italian ancestor who emigrated successful nan precocious 19th period to nan United States, for illustration millions of different people, of different Italians,’’ Mellone said earlier nan hearing. “Today they are invoking their correct to Italian citizenship.’’

Mellone’s lawsuit would explain nan citizenship authorities of nan descendants of immoderate 14 cardinal Italians who emigrated betwixt 1877 and 1914, according to Foreign Ministry statistics, and beyond.

While Mellone’s lawsuit involves 2 families, different twelve group whose citizenship claims were stopped by nan rule were coming extracurricular nan courthouse successful solidarity.

Karen Bonadio said she hopes 1 time to move to Italy connected nan spot of her ancestry. She brought photos of her arsenic a young woman alongside her Italian-born great-grandparents, who emigrated from Basilicata successful confederate Italy to upstate New York, on pinch their commencement certificates.

“The caller rule says, ‘all these great-grandchildren didn’t cognize their great-grandparents.’ This is from 1963, I deliberation I was 3 ½,’’ she said, showing nan photograph.

At slightest 1 of Mellone’s cases had been rejected successful little courts earlier nan caller law, hinging partially connected rulings that Italian emigrants who took connected different citizenship earlier having children cannot walk connected Italian citizenship.

Jennifer Daly’s lawsuit has been moving its measurement done nan Italian bureaucracy for astir a decade. Her grandfather, Giuseppe Dallfollo, immigrated to nan U.S. successful 1912 from nan bluish state of Trento erstwhile it was nether Austro-Hungarian control. He later joined an Italian female and brought her over, and astatine immoderate constituent became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Daly said she ever had a beardown Italian personality that transcended her past sanction anglicized by U.S. migration officials. She petitioned for citizenship because “it is genuinely a nickname of who I am, wherever I americium from. It’s truthful overmuch much than citizenship. It’s everything,’’ Daly, a retired history professor, said by telephone from Salina, Kansas.

Outside nan courthouse, Alexis Traino said great-grandparents connected some her maternal and paternal sides had travel from Italy, wherever she now lives, chiefly successful Florence.

“My full life, I grew up knowing — and my parents ever emphasized — that I was Italian. I had a very, very beardown relationship pinch Italy,” said Traino, 34, who was waiting for documents from Italy and nan U.S. erstwhile nan rule passed, blocking her case.

“I want to beryllium Italian. I want to lend to Italy and beryllium a citizen,’’ she said.

Barry and Stellacci constitute for nan Associated Press. Barry reported from Milan.