Does a Supreme Court justice have to be born in the US?

Answer 1

Unlike its requirement that the President be a "natural born" citizen, and the Senators and Representatives be at least "naturalized," the Constitution is silent on the citizenship and residency requirements for a Supreme Court Justice.

Naturalized citizens are eligible to serve on the Court. In order to become a naturalized citizen, a person must be at least 18 years old and must have been a permanent resident in the United States for at least five years, or for three years, if married to and continuously living with a spouse who's an American citizen. A person voluntarily serving in the US Military is eligible to apply for citizenship after one year of service, or within six month of being honorably discharged.

Non-citizen residents of the United States may or may not be legally eligible for a position on the Court, but politically, the likelihood of a non-citizen being nominated or confirmed by the Senate is virtually nil.

For more information on the Supreme Court justice qualifications, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 2

No. There is no Constitutional requirement that Supreme Court justices be native born, as there is for US President. In the early days of the Court, a number of justices were born in other countries.

Answer 3

No