Ted Cruz gets hit with ‘birther’ lawsuit

[spanone]

In what appears to be the first “birther” challenge against Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, an 85-year-old Houston attorney filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday seeking to address what GOP front-runner Donald Trump has labeled the “big question mark on [Cruz’s] head” — that is, whether the Texas senator is a “natural born citizen” and, therefore, eligible to run for president.

“This 229 year question has never been pled, presented to or finally decided by or resolved by the U. S. Supreme Court,” said Newton B. Schwartz Sr. in his 28-page lawsuit filed Thursday in Texas’ Southern District Court. “Only the U.S. Supreme Court can finally decide, determine judicially and settle this issue now.”

The issue in question is that the United States Constitution states, “No person except a natural born citizen” can be president, but does not go on to define the term “natural born citizen.” That ambiguity has left some wondering whether Cruz, who was born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban-born father, meets the standards for president that the founders had in mind.

Cruz is hardly the first presidential candidate to face such scrutiny. John McCain was born at a U.S. naval air station in the Panama Canal Zone; Barry Goldwater was born in Arizona before it was a state; George Romney was born to American citizens living in a Mormon church colony in Mexico. And all three men were able to run for president — a fact Cruz noted in Thursday night’s Fox Business GOP debate.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ted-cruz-gets-hit-birther-lawsuit

[treestar]

1. lol

Zero standing. You can't sue as representative of all of the voters.

[spanone]

3. yep....

According to NBC News’ Pete Williams, Schwartz’s suit “has zero chance of success” for two reasons. One, Schwartz probably doesn’t have “legal standing” to sue — a requirement that he show “concrete and particularized” injury, rather than a generalized complaint. And two, the lawsuit probably fails the test of ripeness; Cruz hasn’t even been nominated yet.

“All of this is not to say that substantive lawsuits over the Cruz issue couldn’t be filed,” Williams explained. “Another candidate could file a suit. Or a county clerk or secretary of state could argue that it would violate their constitutional oaths to put him on the ballot. But this complaint in Texas meets none of these tests.”

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ted-cruz-gets-hit-birther-lawsuit

[NutmegYankee]

4. While true...

I am enjoying watching the rabid right eat their own on this issue.

[treestar]

5. no kidding

this is such karma too after the birthers.

[DFW]

2. And from right here in Texas, no less!

I was expecting Orly Taitz again, but whoever was financing her shenanigans apparently only goes after Democrats.

[jberryhill]

7. No, Taitz doesn't think he's eligible

Obviously, she is a Trump supporter.

[DFW]

8. Figures

She is a European immigrant, after all

[Iggo]

6. National and International.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

10. His national and international citizenships...all 3.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

9. When designing a gun, isn't the barrel supposed to point AWAY from the person using the gun?

Well, Teddy, as Joe Walsh once said, You bought it, you name it.

[TexasProgresive]

11. I think this is Newton's 3rd law

Law III: To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts.

Some here call it blow-back

[niyad]

12. I shouldn't be amused by this insanity, but. . . what can I say. it's a character flaw.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. I'm torn. I hope he wins. I hope he loses.

I'd love to see him disqualified, just because he's an a**hole.

I'd love to see him win, just because Trump's an even bigger a**hole.

I have a feeling that Cruz will come through this as qualified to be the candidate.

[Gothmog]

14. This petition is dreck

The plaintiff is an 85 year old attorney and this pleading is horrible. The petition is really very very bad. I feel sorry for the author of this petition