menasche argued march decided april alien filed declaration intention become american citizen effective date immigration nationality act otherwise complied naturalization laws effect status condition right process acquisition preserved general savings clause act even though petition naturalization filed effective date act pp subsection savings clause broadened act congress manifested intention act take effect prospectively specific provision contrary pp extension subsection limited situations concerning derivative citizenship fact act declarations intention longer prerequisite naturalization immaterial view provision preserving validity declarations intention valid time act shall take effect pp case alien inchoate right citizenship protected defeated implication stemming pp section act imposes stringent requirement residence prior law otherwise specifically provide act rather prior law apply situation alien case gray thoron argued cause brief solicitor general sobeloff assistant attorney general olney paul winings lorraine wall hurney peyton ford argued cause filed brief respondent justice clark delivered opinion case shomberg post present questions concerning proper interpretation general savings clause immigration nationality act stat note clause act provides follows nothing contained act unless otherwise specifically provided therein shall construed affect validity declaration intention petition naturalization certificate naturalization certificate citizenship warrant arrest order warrant deportation order exclusion document proceeding shall valid time act shall take effect affect prosecution suit action proceedings civil criminal brought status condition right process acquisition act thing liability obligation matter civil criminal done existing time act shall take effect prosecutions suits actions proceedings statutes sic conditions rights acts things liabilities obligations matters statutes parts statutes repealed act unless otherwise specifically provided therein hereby continued force effect except otherwise specifically provided title iii petition naturalization heretofore filed may pending time act shall take effect shall heard determined accordance requirements law effect petition filed facts dispute respondent admitted permanent residence march following month filed declaration intention become citizen next five years respondent absent business several periods less year although aggregate absences months conceded respondent time abandoned american residence accordingly prerequisites citizenship satisfied respondent entitled naturalized nationality act upon completing five years residence stat ed period run immigration nationality act became effective december section act stat imposed new requirement physical presence eligible citizenship alien must physically present least period constituting residence april menasche filed petition naturalization lacked months fulfilling new requirement thus act applies respondent case clear may naturalized act admittedly eligible citizenship district judge admitted menasche citizenship holding act governs respondent enjoyed status condition right process acquisition preserved new act supp appeals affirmed granted certiorari importance questions presented companion case shomberg supra administration nationality laws interpreting immigration nationality act relation facts case must consider historical background savings clause procedure filing declarations intention declaration intention introduced law second act congress subject naturalization stat remained integral part naturalization procedure act dispensed prerequisite citizenship stat years enactments congress considered appropriate require aliens declare intention become citizens several years petitioned naturalization exceptions made time time avoid hardship expedite naturalization favored group enactment declaration constituted first papers toward american citizenship usual naturalization procedure see joint hearings subcommittees committees judiciary pp pp savings clauses type involved broad inclusive provisions date back general statutes immigration naturalization enacted early part century naturalization act stat first real codification nationality laws contain general savings clause sought protect certain prior rights means specific provisions stat savings provision first general immigration laws following turn century stat germ however clause stating nothing contained act shall construed affect prosecution proceeding criminal civil begun prior act stat subsequent immigration laws predecessors instant provision clearly discerned immigration act provided nothing act shall construed affect prosecution suit action proceedings brought act thing matter civil criminal done existing time taking effect act stat effect savings clause immigration act stat years followed amendments immigration naturalization laws enacted limited savings clauses tailored special changes made new legislation stat stat amended stat stat stat stat provisions though differing terms manifested intention part congress save rights accrued prior laws direct antecedent savings clause involved appeared nationality act stat ed last legislation prior deal general system naturalization like present provision act divided two subsections first subsection expanded upon multiplicity legal subjects preserved immigration laws subsection hand introduced entirely new wrinkle providing pending naturalization petitions shall heard determined within two years thereafter accordance requirements law effect petition filed litigation section involving first scope subsection secondly relation two subsections throws considerable light parallel problems presented instant case act made enumeration matters preserved subsection complete adding status condition right process acquisition liability obligation change undoubtedly prompted several sets inconsistent decisions dealing vague terminology act preserving act thing matter civil criminal first concerned question whether withdrawal declaration intention avoid service armed forces constituted act existing prior law continued debar alien citizenship compare petition otness supp urmeneta supp samowich supp second significant conflict concerned inchoate rights derivative citizenship proper conditions met required passage time ripen full citizenship act changed certain conditions process question arose whether whose time begun run act took effect governed old law new second circuit held new law applied act extend mere condition unattended affirmative action ex rel aberasturi cain appeals district columbia disagreed construing broad language covering rights partly accrued rights process acquisition bertoldi mcgrath app latter conflict must paramount minds congress first subsection savings clause broadened see analysis pp prepared immigration naturalization service committees congress considering legislation conclude congress intended adopt principle bertoldi case new act take effect prospectively app reaffirmation principle underlying less sweeping provision report congressional committees considering earlier section said provision contains customary clauses status quo maintained relation naturalization proceedings related matters report joint departmental committee reproduced hearings house committee immigration naturalization superseded government us limit extension subsection situations concerning derivative citizenship arguing problem entirely responsible new language status condition right process acquisition agree change section designed extend savings clause already broadly drawn embodies believe congressional acceptance principle statutory status quo continue even rights fully matured noted conflict aberasturi bertoldi involved situation alien failed take affirmative action assert claim citizenship even restrictive aberasturi opinion recognized affirmative action alien might alter result reached congress willing preserve mere condition unattended affirmative action think savings clause also reaches instances affirmative action present whole development general savings clause predecessors accompanying recent codifications field immigration naturalization manifests congressional policy strip aliens advantages gained prior laws consistent broadening savings provision particularly general terminology indicates policy preservation intended apply matters within without specific contemplation congress government argues hinging statuses conditions rights process acquisition filing declaration intention contends act rendered declarations totally meaningless far naturalization proceedings concerned longer prerequisite naturalization confer special advantage immaterial first congressional resolution conflict indicates willingness least situations preserve rights process acquisition without requiring affirmative action part alien argued present case menasche residence rather filing declaration gave rise rights approach virtue eliminating inequitable treatment envisaged government regards special groups aliens file declarations prerequisite citizenship decision rested ground sufficient merely refer provision derived verbatim act preserving validity declarations intention valid time act shall take effect government contends however even considered alone covers case deals specifically naturalization petitions necessary implication excludes coverage read statute subsection merely implements emphasizes operation forerunner clear first subsection specific exception since subsections state prior law apply certain circumstances slight negative implication derived fact applies pending petitions naturalization filed effective date new act overcome broad sweep direction prior law applies unless act otherwise specifically provide emphasis supplied view strengthened relation predecessors report joint departmental committee supra stated act period years granted petition naturalization filed prior enactment new measure might heard law effect proceeding begun approach courts dealing pending naturalization petitions alleged governed savings clause generally see whether petitioner rights saved applicable apply limitation see shaver petition la bella supp petition hirsch supp mcinnis supp cf petition ferrara thus considered source rights savings clause merely special limitation rights indeed two cases petitions naturalization filed effective date act considered solely relation samowich supp petition rothschild supp decisions ignored supposedly obvious negative implications cast considerable doubt government present view automatically removed coverage prior law petitions filed effective date act thus construction advanced government concerning relation continue relation predecessor provisions actually marked departure significant change made subsection act deletion time limit nothing indicate congress making change intended alter entire structure savings clause making exclusive provision naturalization petitions see analysis supra decisions considering problem act accord decisions district appeals instant case holding preserves rights accruing stages naturalization process pringle affirming supp jocson supp believe congress intended government contention apply phase processing naturalization petitions defeat destroy plain meaning section cardinal principle statutory construction save destroy labor board jones laughlin steel duty give effect possible every clause word statute montclair ramsdell rather emasculate entire section government interpretation requires accordingly hold respondent inchoate right citizenship protected defeated implication stemming remains therefore look imposes new requirement physical presence determine whether otherwise specifically provide new act apply respondent situation clear section merely says except otherwise provided stated degree physical presence shall required may viewed reference inter alia strengthening conclusion prior law applies district appeals correct concluding preserved respondent inchoate rights prior law decisions accordingly affirmed footnotes sec nothing contained either chapter iii chapter act unless otherwise provided therein shall construed affect validity declaration intention petition naturalization certificate naturalization citizenship document proceeding shall valid time act shall take effect affect prosecution suit action proceedings civil criminal brought act thing matter civil criminal done existing time act shall take effect prosecutions suits actions proceedings acts things matters statutes parts statutes repealed act hereby continued force effect petition naturalization heretofore filed may pending time act shall take effect shall heard determined within two years thereafter accordance requirements law effect petition filed alien may wishes file declaration intention immigration naturalization service stat apparent object optional provision preserve rights aliens state laws example may requirement legally resident alien shall filed declaration intention obtain work see joint hearings supra supra possible although pass point opinion serves function carries negative implication different advanced government section provides pending petitions naturalization shall governed law effect petition filed emphasis supplied section hand provides nothing new act shall affect enumerated subjects preserving law existed immediately prior effective date act thus may otherwise specifically provid law applicable pending petitions different law preserved protected interests fully considered passing question us consonance interpretation statutory scheme advance merely another illustration meaning given avoid result pressed government case objection rendered redundant holding petitioner rights protected