Surprising No One, Georgia Judge Concludes the President is a Citizen
The economy may still be limping along and the Middle East in crisis, but at least President Obama can cross one item off the list of things keeping him up at night: According to Friday鈥檚 by Georgia Administrative Law Judge , the president is indeed a natural-born citizen eligible to run for office in this fall鈥檚 election.
Malihi, who even the authority to enforce a contempt-of-court order, wrote in a 10-page decision that the evidence presented was 鈥渨holly insufficient to support Plaintiffs鈥� allegations.鈥�
Singling out attorney Orly Taitz for particular criticism, Malihi noted that the woman known as the 鈥渂irther queen鈥� had failed to show that any of her witnesses were actually experts, and that neither their testimony nor her exhibits proved her claim that the president is a former Indonesian citizen who used a fake name, stolen Social Security number, and forged birth certificate to support his candidacy.
The judge was equally unimpressed by the claims of attorneys Mark Hatfield and Van Irion, both of whom argued that while a 鈥渃itizen鈥� is anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents鈥� citizenship, a 鈥渘atural-born citizen鈥� must be the offspring of two U.S. citizens. Since the president鈥檚 father was never a U.S. citizen, they argued, Obama is constitutionally ineligible for office.
Following the logic laid out in a 2009 decision by Indiana鈥檚 Court of Appeals, Malihi found that Obama is indeed 鈥渘atural born.鈥�
All three attorneys have vowed to fight on 鈥� and Taitz this morning filed a fresh election challenge in Indiana. (Yes, you read that right: Indiana, the very same state upon whose ruling in Obama鈥檚 favor formed the basis of Malihi鈥檚 ruling against Irion and Hatfield鈥檚 argument.) She鈥檚 also calling for Malihi鈥檚 head, urging readers of her website to call Georgia鈥檚 attorney general and 鈥渄emand immediate criminal investigation of Malihi for public corruption.鈥�
Ever suspicious, Taitz also asked on her website if anyone knew what the judge鈥檚 middle initial, M, stands for.
No one seems to know for sure. But one of her followers has a theory: Based on the 2003 obituary of a Massachusetts man named Hassan Malihi (beloved father of Ladan Khamsi, and Ali, Reza and Mahmood Malihi, but conspicuously not of anyone named Michael), there鈥檚 a pretty good chance the judge is an Iranian using a fake name! 鈥淢ahmood Malihi is Judge Michael,鈥� proclaims a response posted on Taitz鈥檚 website.
And so, the show goes on.
