Should the Supreme Court hear arguments on Obama's citizenship?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I say yes.  This way, people will stop complaining about it.  We'll finally have an official statement saying that he can serve as President.  I normally don't support courts hearing dumb cases like this, but if it gets people to shut up about it, I'm for it.

No (Obama). We already had an official statement from the government of Hawai'i, didn't we?

An official statement never "shuts up" the tinfoil hat crowd -- any official statement from the SCOTUS will just be met with "ZOMG the court is in on TEH CONSPIRACY!!!!111!!!" Don't waste the time.

That's why I changed my opinion as long as SCOTUS gives a reason for why they don't hear the case.

[paul718]

No (McCain).

Re: Bush v. Gore...the Court should've found it non-justiciable.

[Stranger in a strange land]

okay, I've been doing some digging and here's what I've found:

1. the fact that he was a dual US-Kenyan citizen at the time of his birth is irrelevant, because the US does not recognize dual citizenship. If he became an Indonesian citizen as a child, the matter is also irrelevant, because he would not have sworn an oath of loyalty to Indonesia after the age of 18. Furthermore, Obama never held a Kenyan passport and never visited Kenya until he was in his 20s.

2. It is impossible for a child to renounce their US citizenship, so even if he was adopted by Lolo Soetoro, that would in no way compromise his US citizenship, especially since he was still the son of Ann Dunham. Furthermore, Ann Dunham remained his legal mother.

3. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest he was born outside the United States

4. If Frank Marshall Davis were indeed Obama's biological father, that would weaken, not strengthen, the case that Obama was not a citizen, as Davis was a natural-born citizen.

5. Nobody has explained why exactly the state of Hawaii would have a fraudulent birth certificate on record. This would require a conspiracy involving at least dozens of people.

6. If you request a copy of your birth certificate, you will very likely get a short form copy, not a long form original. The document posted online meets all of the State Department's criteria for verification of citizenship.

7. Regardless of the age or citizenship of his parents, Obama is a natural-born citizen under the guidelines laid out by the 14th Amendment.

[Lunar]

Man if the SCOTUS did pronounce Obama ineligible, you would get some pretty sweet riots.

[??????????]

4. If Frank Marshall Davis were indeed Obama's biological father, that would weaken, not strengthen, the case that Obama was not a citizen, as Davis was a natural-born citizen.

Still the most likely reason that he's been very secretive about his BC. Can't blame him really, but if you ARE running for president you should lay out all your documents required to prove what you are.

[NOVA Green]

4. If Frank Marshall Davis were indeed Obama's biological father, that would weaken, not strengthen, the case that Obama was not a citizen, as Davis was a natural-born citizen.

Still the most likely reason that he's been very secretive about his BC. Can't blame him really, but if you ARE running for president you should lay out all your documents required to prove what you are.

It should settle it for once and for all...

The problem is that if he does present his BC, he will be effectively acknowledging the conspiracy mongering from the Right and distracting media attention from his transition media agenda.

[??????????]

Why? If it proves his side then he wins..which is why I've been arguing for this.

[Хahar 🤔]

1. the fact that he was a dual US-Kenyan citizen at the time of his birth is irrelevant, because the US does not recognize dual citizenship. If he became an Indonesian citizen as a child, the matter is also irrelevant, because he would not have sworn an oath of loyalty to Indonesia after the age of 18. Furthermore, Obama never held a Kenyan passport and never visited Kenya until he was in his 20s.

That's wrong.

[Lunar]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

Please, everyone who's going to be stupid, please read that first

[Lincoln Republican]

If the Supreme Court even agreed to hear this ridiculous argument, they would be demeaning their stature as a judicial body, and would and should become a laughing stock.

I was a McCain supporter, and did not consider Obama qualified to be President, but this was based on his lack of experience and his paper thin resume.  However, to argue he does not meet the citizenship requirements is absurd.

I must say I am so far impressed with Obama and the effective way he has been handling the transition.  He has the ability, I believe, to become an effective and capable President.

There is really no question, as far as I am concerned, that he meets the citizenship requirements.  To believe otherwise is just plain silly.

[Stranger in a strange land]

1. the fact that he was a dual US-Kenyan citizen at the time of his birth is irrelevant, because the US does not recognize dual citizenship. If he became an Indonesian citizen as a child, the matter is also irrelevant, because he would not have sworn an oath of loyalty to Indonesia after the age of 18. Furthermore, Obama never held a Kenyan passport and never visited Kenya until he was in his 20s.

That's wrong.

The US allows dual citizenship. US citizenship takes precedence within the borders of the United States, and US law has no bearing on the nationality law of other nations and vice versa. My point was that the fact he held Kenyan citizenship (that he never claimed) at the time of his birth would not compromise or diminish his US citizenship.

[Stranger in a strange land]

4. If Frank Marshall Davis were indeed Obama's biological father, that would weaken, not strengthen, the case that Obama was not a citizen, as Davis was a natural-born citizen.

Still the most likely reason that he's been very secretive about his BC. Can't blame him really, but if you ARE running for president you should lay out all your documents required to prove what you are.

Even if that were true, couldn't the birth certificate claim Barack Sr. was the real father? And why would Barack Sr. have gone along with the ruse for almost two years?

Anyway, it's irrelevant, but Obama's facial features look more Kenyan than African-American IMHO.

[angus]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

Please, everyone who's going to be stupid, please read that first

I'm going to be stupid, so I read your post.  It contained no surprises.  Just lots of stuff we all already knew, and nothing particularly relevant to the New Jersey case which is being continued in the current (federal) lawsuit.

My question, like Stranger's and Ink's, still stands:  what's the basis of the lawsuit?

The only thing I have dug up which seems legit I posted, although Stranger claims that it doesn't apply, but as I understand the law it may, but then I may be confused and I haven't read the text of the law, just someone's interpretation.  (Among them, the same snopes.com, by the way, to which you referred us stupid types in your post.  It's not clear to me whether Snopes is actually a lawyer, or really anything other than a group of geeks with little more than time on their hands.  So the question still stands.)  But snopes aside, I still hope the letter of the law doesn't keep him out of office.  I doubt that it will.  (I'm not saying it is legit.  Like snopes.com, I'm probably not a lawyer either, I'm just saying that it's the only thing I could find that comes close to having any actual bearing on this case, and even it seems flimsy.)

The internet has really become a double-edged sword, hasn't it?  Used to be no nitpicking.  Lots of bitching, but not this amount of minutiae.  Nowadays, with the availability of obscure writs available at the touch of a button, we're seeing all sorts of nitpicking.  It started with Bush and Cheney "being from the same state" back in 2000 and therefore not a legitimate ticket.  Anyone remember that?  Now it's--well I think it's--that Obama's mother hadn't lived in the United States for five years subsequent to her 16th birthday.  I guess we should just be prepared for this amount of scrutiny from now on.  It's not a disadvantage, really, since it'll keep folks honest, but it's so distracting.

[King]

The court hearing this case and proving Obama's citizenship won't shut up conspiracy theorists.  They'll either:

(A) believe the Court is part of the plot
(B) latch onto a new anti-Obama conspiracy
(C)  YOUR MOTHER SO HARD YOU WAN"T NAW WHAT TOO DUE

[Stranger in a strange land]

The court hearing this case and proving Obama's citizenship won't shut up conspiracy theorists.  They'll either:

(A) believe the Court is part of the plot
(B) latch onto a new anti-Obama conspiracy
(C)  YOUR MOTHER SO HARD YOU WAN"T NAW WHAT TOO DUE

also, there are at least five versions of this conspiracy theory:
1. Obama is not a citizen because he was actually born in Kenya or Indonesia
2. Obama was a citizen but lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia
3. Obama was born a US citizen in Hawaii but is not a natural-born citizen because he was also a Kenyan citizen due to his father's citizenship.
4. Obama does not qualify as a US citizen because his mother was too young and his father was a non-citizen. (this is demonstrably false: see anchor babies and birth tourism)
5. Obama is a nautral born citizen but a Communist is his real father.

The 3rd one is what the Donfrio case is alleging.

[Jacobtm]

Some damning evidence:

[Associate Justice PiT]

Some damning evidence:

     ^Epic win.

[riceowl]

SCOTUS says no, but no comment:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Scotus-Obama.html?_r=1

[paul718]

SCOTUS says no, but no comment:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Scotus-Obama.html?_r=1

I'm curious as to whether it was unanimous.  Do they ever release how the votes went when denying cert?

[minionofmidas]

the order runs, literally:

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There's nothing else.