In the United States v. Unzeuta case of 1929, the Supreme Court ruled on issues related to citizenship and naturalization. The defendant, Mr. Unzeuta, was a Basque shepherd who had entered the U.S in 1907 but spent most of his time herding sheep in isolated areas with little contact with others or opportunities to learn English. When he applied for citizenship in 1925, he was denied because he could not demonstrate sufficient understanding of English or knowledge about American government as required by a law passed in 1906. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned this decision arguing that it would be unjust to apply these requirements strictly given Mr.Unzeuta's circumstances which limited his ability to meet them through no fault of his own. They noted that while Congress intended immigrants should have some basic knowledge before becoming citizens, they did not intend such rules should bar those whose life conditions made compliance impossible. This ruling set an important precedent acknowledging that certain circumstances may justify exceptions from standard naturalization requirements.

In the United States v. Unzeuta case of 1929, there was no recorded dissenting opinion from any justice. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that an alien who entered the U.S. illegally as a minor could not be deported after becoming an adult if they had good moral character and were not guilty of committing any crimes during their stay in the country.