Introduction:
The petitioner, represented by Attorney Salvatore Aprigliano of the Milan Bar, sought judicial confirmation of Italian citizenship jure sanguinis as a direct descendant of an Italian ancestor who emigrated to the United States without renouncing citizenship. Due to the long-standing inaccessibility of consular appointments, the petitioner turned to the judicial path to assert her constitutional right to recognition of citizenship by descent.
Outcome:
On October 8, 2025, the Court of Palermo upheld the petition, declaring the applicant an Italian citizen since birth. The judgment ordered its transmission to the Ministry of the Interior and the competent Civil Status Officer for registration and transcription in the Civil Status Registers. The legal costs were left to the petitioner.
Challenge:
The case centered on the transmission of Italian citizenship through a maternal line before 1948, previously restricted under Law No. 555 of 1912. The Court of Palermo, citing Constitutional Court Judgments No. 87/1975 and No. 30/1983, confirmed that such gender-based distinctions were unconstitutional and contrary to the principles of equality and nationality rights under Italian law.
Action:
Through rigorous documentary evidence, Aprigliano Law Firm established the petitioner’s uninterrupted lineage from her Italian ancestor and invoked constitutional and Supreme Court precedents affirming that citizenship acquired by birth is permanent and imprescriptible. The firm demonstrated that judicial recognition is a legitimate safeguard when administrative remedies are ineffective or discriminatory, reinforcing the principle that Italian citizenship jure sanguinis exists by operation of law upon proof of descent.
For the privacy of our clients, all names are fictional, and any identifying details in the judgements have been obscured.