This blog isn’t just about shameless self-promotion.  Oh, well, all right, yes it is, but occasionally I like to throw in a nugget or two of useful information, something you can amaze your friends with should the opportunity arise.  So here, for your edification, are a few fascinating legal insights into the whole citizenship issue.  And, hey, since it’s you – there’s no charge.

My friend Stephen is an immigration attorney.  He writes:

“I read your musings on citizenship with interest. Another (more overlooked) advantage of being a U.S. citizen is that a citizen can sponsor parents for permanent residency as immediate relatives, and sponsor siblings for permanent residency as a 4th family preference (although visa wait is about ten years for those). Also you become liable for jury duty. You also become eligible for public office (like the governor of California). But you can never become President or Vice President, as these are reserved constitutionally for natural born citizens (despite the fact that the first seven presidents were born in colonies, not the country of the United States.)

On the minutia side, there must be at least one U.S. citizen as party to a suit in federal court, in case you were going to sue anybody there. Two LPRs can’t sue each other federal court, as a matter of federal civil procedure.

Apologies for the tedious info. But if Aleister Cooke, Cary Grant, Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Macnee, and tons more ex-Pats naturalize, why shouldn’t Mr. A. George? :-)”

I had forgotten about jury duty, although the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City looks like it would be a nice place to hang out.  Hmm.  Maybe I need to rethink this…

Anyway, thanks, Stephen.  Far more informative than most of the stuff I post.