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In depth
Lex loci (Latin for 'law of the place') is the legal principle that the law of the place where an event occurred governs the legal consequences of that event. In CBD cases, lex loci determines which country's citizenship law applies to a birth, marriage, or naturalization.
For example, the citizenship status of a child born in the US to Italian parents is governed by US law (for jus soli) and Italian law (for jus sanguinis) — the child may be both US (by birth on US soil) and Italian (by descent from Italian parents).
Lex loci is distinct from lex domicilii (law of the domicile), which governs legal relationships based on a person's residence rather than the place of an event.
Related terms
Lex domicilii (Latin for 'law of the domicile') is the legal principle that the law of a person's domicile governs certain legal relationships, complementing lex loci in CBD cases.
Jus sanguinis (Latin for 'right of blood') is the principle that grants citizenship based on the citizenship of one's parents or ancestors, regardless of where one is born.
Jus soli (Latin for 'right of the soil') grants citizenship based on being born in the territory of the state, regardless of the parents' citizenship.
Sui generis (Latin for 'of its own kind') is a legal term describing something unique, often applied to citizenship regimes that don't fit standard categories.
Ex post facto (Latin for 'from after the fact') describes a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions, relevant to CBD restitution laws.
Nunc pro tunc (Latin for 'now for then') is a legal phrase allowing a court to make a retroactive order, sometimes used in CBD cases to correct procedural defects.