10.05
Conspiracy theories rejecting the legitimacy of President of the United States Barack Obama’s citizenship and his eligibility to be President have circulated before and after his victory in the 2008 presidential election. Some of these conspiracy theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and that his birth certificate is a forgery. Other conspiracy theories allege that Obama is a citizen of Indonesia, or that because he had dual citizenship at birth (British and American), he is not a natural born citizen of the US. Being a natural born citizen is a requirement to be President of the United States under Article Two of the United States Constitution. These theories received attention in mid-2008 following Obama’s victory in the Democratic primaries, in late 2008 – early 2009 with regard to the Electoral College vote and Obama’s inauguration, and again in mid-2009 following a lawsuit by Army reservist Stefan F. Cook.
These claims are promoted by a number of fringe theorists and political opponents who filed lawsuits which sought to disqualify Obama from standing or being confirmed as President, or to obtain additional proof that he is qualified. Three were filed with and dismissed by the Supreme Court of the United States. Additionally, as of December 2008[update], none of the cases have prevailed in lower courts. Although Obama was confirmed as president-elect by Congress on January 8, 2009, and sworn in as President on January 20, litigation continued into his presidency. Those promoting these conspiracy theories are frequently called “birthers“, a moniker that parallels the nickname “truthers” for the 9/11 Truth movement.
The Obama campaign released a 2007 certified copy of his Certification of Live Birth (sometimes incorrectly called a “short form”) that states Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. A common complaint of those questioning Obama’s eligibility is that he has not released a photocopy of his original birth certificate (in this instance incorrectly called a “long form”), having only issued an official certification of live birth (what Hawaii deems equivalent to one’s “Birth Certificate” upon request). Asked about this, Department of Health Spokeswoman Janice Okubo stated that Hawaii “does not have a short-form or long-form certificate.” Moreover, the director of her Department has confirmed that the state holds Obama’s “original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures.”
Meanwhile, some Republican Congressmen have expressed skepticism about Obama’s citizenship or have displayed a lack of willingness to acknowledge it, while a few Republican members of the U.S. Congress have proposed legislation that they stipulate would prevent future occurrences of such issues.