Illinois Court to Hear Birther Suit on Cruz Friday

Thursday, February 18, 2016 10:56 PM

An Illinois judge will hear testimony Friday in a lawsuit filed by an state voter claiming that Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz should not be allowed to run for president because of questions about his eligibility, CNN reports.

Voter Lawrence Joyce's suit challenging Cruz's placement on the Illinois primary ballot next month is to be heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago.

Joyce filed suit after the state's Board of Elections on Feb. 1 dismissed the objection he filed with it.

Cruz, who was born in Canada, insists that he meets the constitutional requirement for a president to be "natural born" because his mother was a U.S. citizen.

GOP front-runner, who has made much of the question about Cruz's eligibility, has threatened to sue Cruz over it. Trump reiterated the notion, and mentioned the Illinois suit, during Thursday night's CNN Republican town hall.

The question has never been tested in court.

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/birt.../18/id/715082/

As American voters we have our own power to shut this down. Just don't vote for any candidate for President who was not born in the USA to 2 US citizen parents (and yes, naturalized US citizen parents count, but they must be citizens when the candidate was born).

It's very simple. American voters just need to do their job and uphold the US Constitution at the ballot box.

Why isn't anyone stating that Rubio is an ANCHOR BABY???????? No citizen parents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.alipac.us/f9/mark-levin-y...le-run-328976/

Ted Cruz campaign wants Illinois citizenship suit dismissed

Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY
4:58 p.m. EST February 19, 2016

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6e69...itizenship.jpg
(Photo: Charles Dharapak, AP)


CHICAGO — An attorney for the Ted Cruz campaign asked a Cook County judge Friday to dismiss an Illinois man's lawsuit challenging the Texas senator's eligibility to run for president, citing that the Republican hopeful wasn't properly served with the complaint.

Lawrence Joyce, an Illinois voter and Ben Carson supporter, brought his complaint earlier this month to the Illinois State Board of Elections, which dismissed it.

Now, he is appealing the case with the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, asking it to rule Cruz ineligible to run in next month's GOP primary in Illinois. Joyce challenges whether the senator from Texas meets the criteria to serve as president because he was born in Canada.

Sharee Langenstein, an attorney for Cruz, said in court Friday it is "very, very clear" the Cook County court doesn't have jurisdiction to hear the case because state law stipulates the candidate be served with the complaint. Joyce, a pharmacist and attorney from Poplar Grove, Ill., failed to serve Cruz, whose home address is listed in his petition to be placed on the state's ballot, Langenstein said.

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9065...6-Cruz-001.jpg

USA TODAY Chicago court to hear case to knock Ted Cruz off ballot

The issue of whether Cruz is a "natural-born" citizen has been raised by others, including rival GOP presidential contender Donald Trump, who has threatened to file a lawsuit on the issue. Cruz maintains he meets the criteria because his mother is American-born.

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9065...4/inihouse.jpg

INDIANAPOLIS STAR Cruz, Rubio presidential candidacies face citizenship challenges in Indiana

Judge Maureen Ward Kirby set a March 1 court date to hear arguments on the motion to dismiss. Joyce, who works the midnight shift at a hospital pharmacy, told the judge he wasn't available for arguments before then because of work commitments. The Illinois primary is March 15 and early voting has already begun.

Despite the close timing, Joyce said it is worth letting his complaint play out.

"The nomination doesn't take place until July," Joyce said. "So if a determination is made after the primary that Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president then certainly it would be incumbent upon the Republican National Committee not allow the name of Ted Cruz to be entered at the convention in July."

Voters in Alabama, Texas and New York also have filed legal challenges on whether Cruz meets the citizenship qualifications. The Indiana Board of Election on Friday rejected challenges on whether Cruz and fellow GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio meet the "natural-born" requirement. Rubio, whose parents immigrated from Cuba, was born in Florida.

Cruz has dismissed the efforts as "political mischief."

He defended his citizenship and right to run at a CNN candidates' forum Wednesday, saying he was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen, making him an automatic U.S citizen. His mother was born in Wilmington, Del., Cruz said.

“I never breathed a breath of air on this planet when I was not a U.S. citizen,” he said. “It was the act of being born that made me a U.S. citizen.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...izen/80602506/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Judy

As American voterswe have our own power to shut this down. Just don't vote for any candidate for President who was not born in the USA to 2 US citizen parents (and yes, naturalized US citizen parents count, but they must be citizens when the candidate was born).

It's very simple. American voters just need to do their job and uphold the US Constitution at the ballot box.

---

That would be counter to current law and discrimination.

Under current law, Americans decide who leads this country.