For the first time in 6 decades, any new U.S. citizen can decline to pledge to go to war

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified the situations under which new American citizens may avoid pledging to go to war, extending the right to nonreligious people.

Though a 1946 Supreme Court case had previously allowed a Seventh Day Adventist to become a U.S. citizen despite his refusal to fight, the new rules decouple conscientious objection from religious beliefs. While pacifist religious affiliations will still be accepted as a reason for modifying the citizenship oath, USCIS will now allow "conscientious objection arising from a deeply held moral or ethical code" without requiring it to be tied to any particular theology.

Interestingly, the requirement that new citizens declare they will "bear arms on behalf of the United States" and "perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States" when required by law is a relatively recent rule. The citizenship oath was not standardized until 1929, and the clauses about joining a war effort were not added until 1950.

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