New Jersey judge determines Ted Cruz a natural-born citizen News
New Jersey judge determines Ted Cruz a natural-born citizen

A New Jersey administrative law judge, Jeff Masin, ruled [opinion, PDF] on Tuesday that presidential hopeful Ted Cruz [campaign website] is a natural-born citizen of the US and is thus eligible to be placed on the New Jersey primary ticket. Masin ruled that Cruz is a natural-born citizen because his mother is a US citizen but noted that his decision could be further tailored after review by New Jersey’s Lt. Governor, Kim Guadagno [official website].

The issue of a presidential candidate’s natural-born citizenship has been hotly discussed both in this race and last, with interest groups advocating [JURIST report] for a constitutional amendment allowing for foreign-born presidents. Like the question at hand, in 2008, a judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed a lawsuit [JURIST report] challenging the citizenship status and eligibility of then-Senator Barack Obama to become US president. The lawsuit [complaint, PDF] filed by Pennsylvania attorney Philip Berg, had alleged that Obama did not meet the constitutional requirement of being a natural-born US citizen, arguing that Obama had lost his citizenship as a child when his mother married an Indonesian man, and that there was insufficient evidence that Obama had been born in the US. Judge R. Barclay Surrick found [decision, PDF] that Berg lacked standing to bring the suit because he did not face direct harm even if the allegations were true. The decision was upheld [decision, PDF] by the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

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