Supreme Court Fields Obama Citizenship Challenges

Both claim Obama is not 'natural born'
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 27, 2008 9:21 AM CST
Supreme Court Fields Obama Citizenship Challenges
President-elect Barack Obama smiles during a news conference in Chicago, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Two lawsuits challenging Barack Obama’s right to be president on the grounds that he is not a US citizen are on the Supreme Court;s "to do" list, but the litigants' hopes of overturning the election results are slim, MSNBC reports. One alleges Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii; the other asserts the “natural born” clause in the Constitution means both of a president's parents must be US citizens.

Both cases are on shaky legal ground, not because of the validity of their claims but because the plaintiffs lack legal standing. A lower-court judge who dismissed the Kenya argument explained that the plaintiff's interest "is no greater and his status no more differentiated than that of millions of other voters."
(More Barack Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X