Supreme Court may hear Obama citizenship suit

By Tom Ramstack | Thursday, December 4, 2008

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The Supreme Court plans to decide Friday whether to hear a case that could determine whether President-elect Barack Obama ever becomes the nation's full-fledged president.

The Supreme Court judges' conference today will consider the lawsuit filed by New Jersey attorney Leo Donofrio. He contends Mr. Obama is not a "natural born citizen," as the U.S. Constitution requires.

Mr. Donofrio concedes Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii. He argues, however, that Mr. Obama was a British citizen due to his father's British citizenship.

The judges' conference today resulted from more than a dozen lawsuits challenging Mr. Obama's right to be president based on his citizenship at birth.

Mr. Donofrio originally sued New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells seeking a court order to stop the Nov. 4 presidential election. That was denied.

At least four of the Supreme Court's nine judges must approve before the case is heard. It would mark the first time in American history the questionable citizenship of a winning presidential candidate would go before the Supreme Court.

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