The reason that the Courts and Congress haven’t intervened in Obama’s dual citizenship is because there is historical precedent for dual citizen presidents. Barack Obama is the third president to be born with automatic inherited dual citizenship.
The first was James Buchanan. Buchanan missed being eligible for the constitution’s Article II, Section 1 grandfather clause by four years. He was born in 1791 and the Constitution was ratified in 1787.
Buchanan’s father (also named James Buchanan) was a citizen of Ireland who had immigrated to the United States and became naturalized as an American citizen. Ireland at that time was part of the British Empire. By virtue of British law known as “nemo potest exuere patriam,” [”No one can cast off his country”] Buchanan was a British subject for life and he his son inherited British citizenship as well.
The second dual citizen to become president was Chester Alan Arthur. Arthur was the son of an Irish immigrant (William Arthur). President Arthur’s father also became a naturalized U.S. Citizen when Chester was 14 years old. Chester A. Arthur was also a British subject under British law. But unlike President Buchanan, Chester A. Arthur’s British nationality was rescinded with the passage of the British Naturalization Act of 1870 (When Chester A. Arthur was 41 years old).
Barack Obama lost his Kenyan citizenship at age 23 when he did not affirmatively act to retain it. Kenya, at that time, did not acknowledge dual-citizenship. Kenya required a person to make a choice.
Both Presidents George Washington and James Madison were granted honorary French citizenship by the French Assembly, just like the Marquis de Lafayette was granted honorary U.S. Citizenship.
Tom Paine, while never a president, was certainly a Founder and he accepted French citizenship and was elected to the French National Convention.
Buchanan's father emigrated to the United States in 1783. What makes you say that he was naturalized, if he was here prior to ratification of the Constitution? There was no naturalization law until the Constitution was ratified, so he would be a citizen who was grandfathered in, right?
-PJ
Buchanan’s father (also named James Buchanan) was a citizen of Ireland who had immigrated to the United States and became naturalized as an American citizen.
The information not supplied here is important. Buchanan's father immigrated to the colonies in 1783 and when the Constitution was adopted (1787) all residents of the United States had citizenship (Naturalization) conferred upon them immediately. James was born four years later in 1791 to a now recognized by "Naturalization Law" American Citizen. So.....James was born of the soil and born of the blood.....a "Natural Born Citizen".
What exactly is it about this apparently difficult (for you) scenario that you don't understand?
Chester Arthur lied about his father's citizenship records and, in fact...destroyed all of his own personal papers afterwards in a continuing effort to conceal the truth. He was quite aware he was not considered a "Natural Born Citizen".
Vice President Chester Arthur succeeded Garfield to the presidency after Garfield's assassination and was never elected as the prime candidate.
Honorary citizenship.
I hereby grant every Iranian honorary naturalized citizenship. They can all run for president..