database - Any example of a necessary nullable foreign key?

Question

Customers
 customer_id

Orders
 order_id
 customer_id fk

If I have two tables and define a foreign key on customer_id in the Orders table, by allowing it to be null I am saying that I can have an order that does not have a customer associated with it. As such, the notion of a nullable foreign key seems at odds with the purpose of a foreign key, which is to enforce this constraint.

Is there a simple example of a situation in which a nullable foreign key would be necessary? Or an argument in favor of permitting them?

Answer 1

Imagine a table that holds the TODOs of a team. If a TODO is not yet assigned to a member of the team, its user_id is NULL. If it is not NULL it is a foreign key to the users table.