The Privy Council upheld a landmark citizenship ruling on Thursday that children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men are citizens at birth regardless of their mother’s nationality.
The constitution was previously interpreted as not automatically conferring citizenship to such persons and they had to wait until the age of 18 to apply for citizenship.
The Tribune has reported that the ruling paves the way for the Government to amend the Bahamas Nationality Act to further equalise access to citizenship.
The Government had reportedly said it would pursue that objective once the Privy Council rendered its judgement on the narrower citizenship issue.
The plaintiff in the case, Shannon Rolle, 24, has since become a citizen through the normal application process, but in 2021 he reportedly told The Tribune it was challenging waiting so long.In a statement issued Thursday morning, Prime Minister Philip Davis said: “In light of the Privy Council’s recent decision to uphold the landmark judgment made by Supreme Court Chief Justice Ian Winder in 2020, I would like to express my support and commitment to ensuring that our country’s laws and policies are fair and just for all Bahamians.”
