US Supreme Court refuses to hear ‘birther’ appeal

By Katrina Jones Jun 13th, 2012 ( 1 Comment )

Washington: The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal of a lawsuit on Monday challenging President Obama’s birthplace and eligibility for office.

The high court declined to comment on what it obviously believes to be the case’s lack of merit and just said no. The decision upholds a decision from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out a suit filed by a group of plaintiffs which included failed presidential candidate and conservative commentator Alan Keyes, an African-American, that argued Obama is not a “natural born citizen” because his father is African and therefore ineligible to serve as president, BET reported.

They also contend Obama was born in Kenya and his American birth certificate is a forgery. The lower court disagreed and said the plaintiffs had no standing. Keyes and fellow birther theorist Wiley Drake ran against Obama in 2008 on the American Independent Party ticket. The party’s executive committee chairman Markham Robinson also is named in the suit.

Obama publicly released a copy of his birth certificate last April, but the move has not put birther conspiracies to rest.