Black’s Law Dictionary, 9th Edition: 2009
First Edition: 1891
Vattel: 1759
Constitution:1787
Minor: 1874
Which is closer in time to the Constitution?
Yeah, I’ll go with Vattel. At least two copies were in the room when the Constitution was drafted.
Black’s was still 104 years away from being written.
Popular use does not supplant historical precedent. The whole phrase “ jurisdiction of a natural government” is a thread by itself.Obviuosly a person person in one country whose parents are citizens of another, is at best a dual citizen, if not directly a citizen of that other country.
And as far as construction of a legal document goes, if the Article II requirement is a specific requirement, and the 14th Amendment does not reference that requirement or its application in any way, which one stands?
There were a lot more copies in the room shortly after.
Journal of the Senate of the United States of America / Monday / March 10, 1794 / Volume 2 / page 44
Ordered, That the Secretary purchase Blackstone's Commentaries, and Vattel's Law of Nature and Nations, for the use of the Senate.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsj&fileName=002/llsj002.db&recNum=42&itemLink=D?hlaw:13:./temp/~ammem_LF5V::%230020043&linkText=1