Subject: RE: Birther (Partie deux) Oh no, not two Birther threads. As I mentioned in the other thread it makes for an interesting legal argument because it's not really settled law as far as what constitutes a natural born citizen. The other part is who has standing to challenge the eligibility of an individual in court as well. There is a difference between being a "citizen" and being a "natural born citizen" so just because somebody has one american parent doesn't necessarily make them a "natural born citizen". With the whole Obama birther movement there were dozens, if not hundreds of challenges in courts all over the country challenging his eligibility, but most were dropped due to lack of standing. Meaning, the individuals didn't have a sufficient connection or harm that allowed them to file a case. McCain would likely be the only one who could legitimately file a case with standing, but of course he never would. To my knowledge there was no court ruling stating he was, or was not a "natural born citizen" I'm not saying Obama isn't eligible, so don't read into that. I'm just saying it's an interesting legal question that likely needs to be clarified at some point in the near future due to more and more multi-national American citizens getting into politics. My opinion: Obama is eligible, and so is Cruz. |